Sympathy and empathy are often used interchangeably (and incorrectly), but they have very different meanings. Sympathy means feeling pity for another person and their circumstances, while empathy is more about understanding and vicariously experiencing someone else’s feelings.
Sympathy is triggered by a variety of factors, including individual mood states, previous experiences, and social connections. It’s also influenced by novelty and salience.
Sympathy
Sympathy is a feeling of pity or sorrow for another person’s bad luck, especially if it involves suffering. It’s most often used to describe how you feel about someone else’s misfortune, such as if they have lost a loved one or have an illness that makes them feel bad. The word “sympathy” is derived from the Greek words syn, meaning with and pathos, meaning suffering. Sympathy can also be used to describe harmony between people with the same tastes, dispositions or opinions. For example, the cogs of a machine work in sympathy with each other.
Sympathising with someone allows you to understand their feelings, even if you don’t have any experience with the same situation. You can show your sympathy by saying, “I feel really bad for you” or by sending them a card that expresses your sadness.
However, it’s important to note that when you feel sympathy for someone, it doesn’t necessarily mean you understand what they’re experiencing. You should avoid giving your own judgments or opinions about the person’s situation, which could cause more harm than good. Instead, try to focus on understanding their emotions and providing comfort. This will help you build rapport with the person and make them feel supported. Then you can be a better partner in helping them get through their tough times.
Empathy
A key difference between sympathy and empathy is that while sympathy focuses on a person’s superficial emotions, empathy centers around understanding their difficult thoughts and feelings.
When someone is having a rough time, empathetic behavior helps them feel less alone and more connected to others. Those who are empathetic tend to be more collaborative and a source of support. They also have higher self-esteem.
Empathy is a powerful emotion and a crucial part of emotional intelligence. People who are empathetic can see things from another’s perspective and imagine themselves in tough situations. For example, if your friend breaks a leg, you can empathize with their pain and help them recover from surgery by putting yourself in their shoes.
Whether it’s the proverbial “walking in their shoes” or a more literal act of compassion, empathy is a powerful force. In fact, it’s what fuels the human ability to survive and thrive in difficult times. It’s also what helps people understand that they’re not alone, and that they can count on other members of society to care about them. In other words, it’s what gives meaning to the phrase, “Turn to your neighbor for strength and comfort.” The word empathy is derived from the Greek empatheia, which means “to feel with” or “feel into” (em – in – pathos — suffering). It was adopted by psychology at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Grammarly Difference
Sympathy and empathy are two words that often confuse people, especially in written work. This is mostly because they sound similar and they share some of the same meanings — they both involve understanding or feeling the suffering of another person. However, despite this, the two are different from each other.
According to Brene Brown, while sympathy is a form of pity, empathy goes one step further and involves actually sharing in the person’s feelings. She describes it as “walking in their shoes.”
For example, if someone says they feel sorry for you, that’s sympathy. If they say they empathize with you, it means they understand your situation in a deeper way and can connect to it emotionally.
Another difference between the two is that a person can only sympathize with a person, but they can’t empathize with a group of people. For instance, if a friend is struggling financially, you can sympathize with them, but you can’t empathize with their entire group of friends.
It’s worth mentioning that both of these words are derived from the Greek word pathos, which means feelings and emotions. However, if you take a closer look at their meanings and the history of their usage in the English language, you’ll see that they are far from synonyms.