The main difference between Sympathy and Empathy is that the Sympathy is a perception, understanding, and reaction to the distress or need of another human being and Empathy is a capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing. You show concern for another person when you feel sympathy for them. To empathize with a particular person, I need to have at least some knowledge of who he is and what he is doing or trying to do. Pity can be harmful, depending on how and when it’s used. I don’t say this with negativity but with understanding actually; because I believe empathy and compassion are two of the most difficult emotions to feel because these are emotions that we often feel for others, usually not for ourselves. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! There is a close relationship between empathy and compassion. As John Steinbeck wrote, ‘It means very little to know that a million Chinese are starving unless you know one Chinese who is starving.’. Compassion gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another’s suffering. As a verb compassion is (obsolete) to pity. ( Log Out /  Main Difference. Difference Between Empathy And Sympathy Vs Empathy Vs Sympathy Vs Compassion Empathic vs Sympathetic. Sympathy. Empathy and Compassion. Pity, empathy, sympathy and compassion are words that indicate our reaction to the plight of others. Sympathy To feel sympathy, it means you are able to understand what the person is feeling. Sympathy is feeling compassion, sorrow or pity for the hardships of another while empathy is putting yourself in the shoes of another. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window). Empathy vs. sympathy. Compassion and pity aren't the same thing at all. The mindsets of the first three words are usually welcome additions to the actions that help a person with a disability. As nouns the difference between sympathy and compassion is that sympathy is a feeling of pity or sorrow for the suffering or distress of another; compassion while compassion is deep awareness of the suffering of another, coupled with the wish to relieve it. For instance, it is possible to sympathize with such things as hedgehogs and ladybirds, but not, strictly speaking, to empathize with them. Empathy. Sympathy (‘fellow feeling’, ‘community of feeling’) is a feeling of care and concern for someone, often someone close, accompanied by a wish to see him better off or happier. Sympathy refers to acknowledging another person’s emotional hardships. Dec 19, 2017 After reading Nonviolent Communication, one of the things I’ve been having a hard time explaining is the difference between compassion and empathy - most of the time they are used interchangeably but their characteristics are different. And compassion is a broader sense of care for the world at large. However, you do not specifically understand how they are feeling. Sympathy (from the Greek … With empathy, I share your emotions; with compassion I not only share your emotions but also elevate them into a universal and transcending experience. Dropping a quick video on the differences between sympathy, empathy, and compassion, and why they matter to people in software. I cannot empathize with an abstract or detached feeling. “Empathy is walking a mile in someone else’s shoes, sympathy is being sorry their feet hurt!” Continued on page 42 Practitioners and staff will both benefit by understanding the differences. However, I don’t find this to be completely true. • In pity, you feel sorry but, in sympathy, you understand his feelings. Plus, we would feel pretty miserable all the time if we had to feel empathy and compassion every day. Sympathy vs. Compassion is an emotional response to sympathy and creates a desire to help. Before we talk about compassion, let's first talk about empathy. So how does adding this altruistic wish to empathy help? Sympathy is like having concern and pity for another person's problems and misfortunes. Pity typically implies that the suffering person does not “deserve” what has happened to him or … Empathy is often confused with pity, sympathy, and compassion, which are each reactions to the plight of others. Both sympathy and empathy have roots in the Greek word pathos, which means “suffering, feeling.” In 1909, the psychologist Edward Titchener translated the German Einfühlung (‘feeling into’) into English as ‘empathy’. Sympathy is "I understand how you feel" Empathy is "I feel how you feel" Compassion is "How do you need me to help?" Sympathy. Do you think we often get them confused? Compassion vs Empathy: Compassion : Empathy: Definition: Sympathetic feeling and concern for a person who is suffering: An ability to understand and feel exactly what the other person is suffering: Feelings evoked: A feeling of pity, concern, and sympathy: A feeling of understanding: Actions Taken: Implies that the compassionate person will help Views: 144. Create a website or blog at WordPress.com, Pity vs. Compassion is the willingness to relieve the suffering of another. There are nuances between all of them, and they’re extremely important. Sympathy and empathy sound very similar, but they have one key difference. The truth that I have found is that empathy and compassion are rare because they take extensive time, effort, and energy, and it would be exhausting if we had to put in all of this work constantly. Empathy vs. On the other hand, empathy means actually feeling that pain, which another person has undergone. Sympathy (‘fellow feeling’, ‘community of feeling’) is a feeling of care and concern for someone, often someone close, accompanied by a wish to see him better off or happier. As nouns the difference between empathy and compassion is that empathy is the intellectual identification of the thoughts, feelings, or state of another person while compassion is deep awareness of the suffering of another, coupled with the wish to relieve it. This is a great graphic created by Psychologist Robert Shelton, comparing Pity, Sympathy, Empathy and Compassion: People working in the health care sector (nurses, doctors, counsellors, carers etc) are always told that we should have “empathy”, which was also something I used to think I should always … Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Compassion vs Empathy. Pity is less engaged than empathy, sympathy, or compassion, amounting to little more than a conscious acknowledgement of the plight of its object. Is there a difference? But, I want to distinguish sympathy, empathy & compassion, because I understand them to be different, and feel they are often confused. For me to share in someone else’s perspective, I must do more than merely put myself into his position. • Pity can have slightly negative connotations, whereas sympathy is sharing of feelings. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Click To Tweet. Sympathy means you can understand what the person is feeling. Compared to pity, sympathy implies a greater sense of shared similarities together with a more profound personal engagement. Sympathy means you understand someone else’s feelings, while empathy means you feel someone else’s feelings yourself. ... “Compassion vs Empathy Vs Sympathy vs Plain Horny” is inadvertently reversed. Sympathy should also be distinguished from benevolence, which is a much more detached and impartial attitude. 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