How does cultivating self-awareness contribute to a person's empathic abilities?

Cultivating self-awareness significantly enhances a person's empathic abilities by enabling them to recognize and manage their own biases, emotions, and triggers, preventing these from interfering with their ability to accurately understand and connect with others. When individuals are aware of their own emotional responses, they can better differentiate between their own feelings and the feelings of others, avoiding projecting their own experiences onto someone else. For example, if someone is aware that they tend to become defensive in conflict situations, they can consciously work to manage that defensiveness when listening to someone else's concerns, allowing them to truly hear and understand the other person's perspective. Furthermore, self-awareness allows individuals to recognize their own biases and assumptions, enabling them to approach interactions with greater openness and curiosity. This deeper understanding of oneself creates a more solid foundation for accurately perceiving and responding to the emotions and needs of others.