The problem I have with empathy as adversarial is not that you see it that way, Stopdog, but that that is the only way you see it; it seems you talk of therapists and other mental health professionals, only as "enemies" and say you must know them (presumably so you can "fight" them) but I do not think you can ever get to know them as you have the individuals lumped in with your "enemy" stance and cannot see empathy as empathetic or therapists as warm, loving, caring individuals. Consequently, when an individual acts in that fashion, when someone shows a wider range of emotions, you don't understand what is going on.