The phenomenon of empathy is discussed in terms of psychoanalytic theory with a view to trace its origin, nature, and vicissitudes as they relate to the development of the psychic apparatus. Empathy is rooted in a primary unity with mother, and its fate and course relate to the development of the ego. It becomes eventually organized into an ego function—a bridge function of

the ego—that subserves the striving toward contact with the nonself. The problem of empathy versus projection is illustrated by a discussion of the schizophrenic's "sensitivity." A word of caution is said regarding the validity and interpretation of the so-called empathy tests.