I’m always under the impression that many people mix being empathic and emotional. Oxford dictionary states:
Empathic:
- having the ability to understand another person’s feelings, experience, etc.
Emotional:
- causing people to feel strong emotions
- (sometimes disapproving) showing strong emotions, some in a way that other people think is unnecessary
One can exist without the other or at least be less prominent. A self-absorbed movie celebrity can have excessive public displays of emotions in response to critic reviews, but have no consideration for colleagues on a movie set, friends, or family. On the other hand, a grandmother that lived a harsh life dulled her emotions to cope, but can pull from that experience to understand how people feel in complex situations.