I apologize if this comes off as cringy or embarrassing…but I won’t name the character or media of which they originate from…but when said media reaches a certain point, a character I find myself really attached to…maybe even love… I can’t bear to see this character suffer and experience pain. I know the character ends up rescued and fine by the end… But why do I feel sadness and not being able to watch the part of the story where this character is in despair?
Am I just stupid for feeling this way about a character that isn’t even a real person?
That’s called “sympathy” in the technical sense in psychology. It’s the thing that psychopaths lack.
However, if you are completely unable to see people you like experience pain, then this is sympathy combined with a lack of emotional fortitude.
It’s important to get past this “unable” state, because it will cause you to bury your head in the sand when people you love need help, if you are literally unable to stand seeing them in pain.
For someone who dislikes others’ pain, heroism comes naturally. But for someone who is unable to see others’ pain, denial and cowardice is the natural result.