That's an excellent question for people, too. Childhood trauma can affect the brain such that some emotions can't be felt, for example empathy. If the adult cares enough to listen to feedback from others, he might start believing that he is empathic. He might say the right words as reply to sadness but the real feeling isn't there inside.
Source: I'm going to therapy for this exact thing.
Sikkus t1_j9iyasi wrote
Reply to Would the most sentient ai ever actually experience emotion or does it just think it is? Is the thinking strong enough to effectively be emotion? by wonderingandthinking
That's an excellent question for people, too. Childhood trauma can affect the brain such that some emotions can't be felt, for example empathy. If the adult cares enough to listen to feedback from others, he might start believing that he is empathic. He might say the right words as reply to sadness but the real feeling isn't there inside.
Source: I'm going to therapy for this exact thing.