When someone says "I feel your pain" in a sympathetic sounding voice, in regard to something that they play any part in (such as a boss who denies a raise), ask

When someone says "I feel your pain" in a sympathetic sounding voice, in regard to something that they play any part in (such as a boss who denies a raise), ask them "And how does that feel for you?" - watch carefully for any micro gestures around the mouth and eyes that may be a fleeting smile. Couldn't read the paywalled paper and it seems not to be on SciHub yet, so speaking only to the abstract; On methods; the problem with LPA is that, since your not testing against model features, you can posit the existence of any trait combination within your psychometric space, and hunt hard enough you'll find something that looks like an example. That said: Yes these people exist. Its the classic "troll" profile, who delights in other people's misfortune and suffering. Empathy is absolutely core to this. Supply wouldn't work if they couldn't feel the other's pain. When you think about it there are worse trait combinations than the common-or-garden psychopath. Proper therapeutic training requires you go through years of therapy yourself, part of which is designed to weed out "empathic tourists".