Is it OK if I use the word 'empathized' in this blank?

Question

Emotions and emotional sensitivity are important to our effectiveness in problem-solving. We would like our actions to be well reasoned and make sense, but each element of a good working relationship depends on emotional input. Our understanding of another person's perceptions and interests will be inadequate unless it is e_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ -- unless we know, to some degree at least, what it feels like to be in that situation. If we don't understand how others are feeling, our communication may suffer. Only if we recognize how they feel about things will we able to persuade them. Finally, a full acceptance of another person as someone whose interests and views matter depends on our feelings of caring and respect.

May I put empathized in the _s?

Answer 1

Empathize isn't transitive, so you need a prepositional phrase if you want to express the action as being directed in some way.

With is common with empathize: to empathize with X means to share feelings with X or share the feeling X with somebody.

So one solution is to tack on with in that sentence (also you say those are because "perceptions and interests" are 2 things):

Our understanding of another person's perceptions and interests will be inadequate unless those are empathized with.

But this sounds weird - because empathy doesn't really "work" as an action without a person either as the subject of empathize or the object of with.

Use the noun empathy instead, which works better.

Our understanding of another person's perceptions and interests will be inadequate unless there is empathy.

Or this:

Our understanding of another person's perceptions and interests will be inadequate unless we [using we because our] empathize with that person.