Is Self-Love the Killer of Empathy?

In the age of social media, the phrase “love yourself” echoes everywhere in posts, reels, and motivational captions. Especially among Gen Z, self-love has become a popular topic. However, sometimes they ignore the feelings of others and focus only on their own emotions. They do not want to be judged and believe they should do whatever they want. Under the umbrella of self-love, they often justify their selfishness which is the opposite of empathy. This raises an important question: Is self-love the killer of empathy?

Before answering this question, let’s first understand what self-love truly means.
Self-love refers to a positive regard for oneself that arises from self-awareness and self-acceptance. It grows through understanding one’s own feelings, desires, and needs. When a person begins to recognize their weaknesses and emotions and learns to deal with them, they become capable of understanding the feelings of others as well. In this sense, true self-love builds empathy because it helps us understand our own emotions and, in turn, the emotions of others. Therefore, self-love is actually the foundation of empathy.

However, when self-love crosses the line and turns into self-obsession, it becomes destructive. At that point, people start justifying hurting others “for my peace” and begin to believe that only their emotions are valid. This is where self-love becomes the killer of empathy.
Nowadays, many young people define maturity as detachment like cutting off people, rejecting advice, or refusing accountability all in the name of self-love.

We need to maintain a balance between self-love and empathy in our lives because the highest form of self-love is to love others without losing yourself.True emotional growth comes when we care for ourselves and others equally.

So, love yourself enough to care for others and love others enough to stay true to yourself.

Amber Razzaq

EI B#5