What Is The Difference Between Empathy And Sympathy? Let's Get To Know!

JAKARTA - Sympathy and empathy have a close meaning. Both of them are important for humans who are social creatures. To build relationships and closeness with others, everyone needs to be sympathetic and empathetic.

These two words are different even though they are related to feelings. Many misunderstand even though they do it in everyday life.

Empathy has been translated by psychologist Edward Titchener from the English phrase, feeling into. Quoting Neel Burton's explanation (28/1/2020) in Empathy vs Simpathy published in Psychology Today, empathy can be interpreted as a person's ability to recognize and share emotions.

Sharing emotions in empathy requires a process of recognition. Generally, empathy happens to people you know. Need to change perceptions and put yourself in that person's shoes. This means imagining oneself in its position and not being abstract.

To cultivate a sense of empathy requires knowledge. Among these are knowing who the person is and what he did or experienced. Many people often mistake empathy for compassion, sympathy, and compassion.

For example, feeling sorry for the suffering of others. Pity is uncomfortable and condescending or paternalistic in tone. Pity implies that the person does not deserve their grief or is helpless.

This means that compassion cannot be used to explain what empathy is. Both have different implied value charges.

Another empathy is also with sympathy. Sympathy is a sense of care and concern for someone. Often sympathy goes out to the closest person. Sympathy is also often accompanied by hope and a desire to see the closest person to be happier. Simply put, sympathy is defined as 'feelings for fellow humans'.

Unlike empathy, sympathy does not involve a common perspective. We can sympathize with people who have different opinions or even different ideologies. Because it does not involve perspective, sometimes sympathy is not accompanied by showing 'the same fate'.

Or in expression they really care but don't show mutual distress. Empathy is very likely based on sympathy, although not always. After sympathy and empathy, there is compassion. It is of a higher level because it relates to universal experience.

After recognizing the difference in empathy, sympathy, and compassion, why are these three important in life?

Concern is very important because it can show someone's role in their environment. The more the person is valued, the more empathy, sympathy, and compassion are needed.