Would that we could get the politicos to embrace that

To fully exercise your definition or empathy, for some I know, would prove emotionally tragic for my well-being. When I was young I practiced your definition of empathy and became proficient of predicting behavior and outcomes of those I studied. I found this scary as the predicted interactions and responses of their interactions led me to question if we actually had fee choice or if our behavior was simply a predictable product of environment and programming.

Google "mirror neurons". Fascinating stuff. Empathy is the ability to imagine yourself in someone else's "shoes", experiencing what they experience, feeling what they feel. There are special neurons devoted to this. It is probable that sociopaths lack these, or somehow lack the ability to access them and exercise them.

As long as one is able to stay detached enough not to assume that person's emotions as well. Someone who does that quickly burns out.