Sympathy and empathy are two emotions often confused for one another. They are similar in that they both involve feeling for others, but their meanings differ slightly.
Sympathy involves feelings of compassion, sorrow, or pity for the hardships that others experience. This can include feeling sorry for someone who has lost a loved one or seeing a news story that causes distress.
What is Empathy?
Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person’s emotions. This is done by putting yourself in their shoes and feeling what they feel. For example, if your friend is upset about the way they were treated at work, you might feel their sadness and nervousness. You would also care about them and want to help them find a solution to their problem.
The word empathy is derived from the Greek empatheia, which means “sharing feelings.” It’s important to note that sympathy is different from empathy because it only involves understanding the other person’s emotions, not sharing them. For instance, you might sympathize with a friend who was laid off from their job, but you wouldn’t feel the same way yourself because you have never experienced being laid off. To truly empathize, you would need to climb down into the hole and sit beside them. The RSA Animate video below features Brene Brown talking about the difference between empathy and sympathy.
What is Sympathy?
Sympathy is an emotion that involves feelings of compassion, pity, and sorrow for someone who is suffering. It is the feeling you get when you hear about a friend who has been dumped or when your coworker gets reprimanded. According to Batson, Darwall, Eisenberg, and Maibom, sympathy is a subset of other-oriented emotions (such as concern, care, and understanding).
Sympathy can be demonstrated through actions such as giving gifts or writing cards. It is also a feeling that can be shown by looking at the person who is struggling or hearing about their difficult situation. Sympathy is a form of empathy and can be fueled by the famous phrase “walk a mile in my shoes.” It is often considered a deeper feeling than compassion, which is a stronger sense of personal identification with another person. It can also be exhibited by a desire to help the other person. The verb forms of empathy are empathize and sympathize.
What is the Difference Between Empathy and Sympathy?
Empathy is an emotional reaction that involves feeling and understanding another person’s feelings, while sympathy is a feeling of sorrow or pity for someone. It’s important to know the difference between empathy and sympathy because there are many situations when you may be empathetic but not sympathetic or vice versa.
For example, if someone tells you they’re upset and you cry with them, that is an act of empathy. However, if you’re just feeling sorry for them and haven’t tried to understand their emotions and put yourself in their shoes, it is more likely that you are showing sympathy than empathy.
Sympathy can also have negative effects, including creating a false sense of connection. It can also lead to irrational and unfair political decisions, as described by Paul Bloom in his book. Sympathy can even make us worse at being friends, parents, and husbands and wives. It’s important to learn how to distinguish between empathy and sympathy in order to be a better support system for those around you.
What is the Difference Between Sympathy and Empathy?
While the two words have similar meanings and are often used interchangeably, they’re different in emotional significance. Sympathy is the feeling of pity for others while empathy involves understanding and sharing their feelings.
If you’re a teacher and one of your students confides in you that they are struggling, you might show sympathy by telling them you’ve been there before and offer some tips on how to cope. While these statements are well-intentioned, they lack the element of sensitivity that is required for true empathy.
Similarly, if a friend is having trouble at work and you hear them complaining, you may show sympathy by saying, “I’m sorry to hear that” or by offering them unsolicited advice. While the intention of showing sympathy is good, this type of response can leave a distance between you and your friend. To understand the difference between empathy and sympathy, we spoke with Atlanta-based therapist Habiba Zaman, Pepperdine University professor of psychology Steven Sultanoff, and licensed clinical psychologist Bruce L. Thiessen.