[:en]Understanding Empathy[:]

[:en]What is empathy?

Empathy is almost always defined by the metaphors of ‘standing in someone else's shoes' or ‘seeing through someone else's eyes'. The word ‘empathy’ itself comes from the Greek word: pathos, meaning feeling, and the prefix en-, which means within. So the word empathy simply means understanding the feelings or experiences of others, and feeling it for a moment as if you yourself feel. If you show empathy with others, you feel the person's sorrow.

In addition to the above lexical meanings, there are several definitions of the word empathy given by some of the world's leading psychologists. Among others are given by Hodges and Myers, in the Encyclopedia of Social Psychology, says, “Empathy is often defined as understanding another person’s experience by imagining oneself in that other person’s situation: One understands the other person’s experience as if it were being experienced by the self, but without the self actually experiencing it”.¹

How is it difference from sympathy?

The word sympathy has the same root in Greek as the word empathy, pathos, meaning feeling, and the Greek prefix syn-, which means together. Therefore sympathy means feeling with others. If you are sympathetic to people, you share or understand the person's feelings. Below is a table to show bit of difference between sympathy versus empathy :

How empathy and sympathy relate to one another

The basis of the relationship, whether it is sympathy or empathy, is our feeling; how we acknowledge and understand the feelings or circumstances of others who are suffering or less fortunate.

Both sympathy and empathy mean caring for others. However, empathy has greater value, because it shares the feeling of ‘I’ in ‘you’ and shares the sadness experienced. It is neither an effort to understand nor to comfort the sad or the less fortunate one(s).

In short, although sympathy and empathy are not conflicting, they are totally different. For example, many people can sympathize and feel sorry for parents whose children die of incurable sickness. But perhaps only a few people can feel such sadness, those who have experienced similar events. Another example is the incident experienced by someone who is experiencing economic difficulties and business bankruptcy. Almost everyone will feel sorry for that person. However, empathy can only be demonstrated by people who have experienced life in poverty, bankruptcy and live in similar difficulties that can truly empathize.

What is the importance of showing empathy?

If only everyone realized the importance of empathy in our daily life, I strongly believe that everyone would try to improve their empathy. Not only is it important to create a better relationship with others, even empathy can create a peace in life.

The problem is now, not many people know the importance of empathy in life. Even in today's global era, empathy has been increasingly lost and depleted and replaced by a sense of high individualism. In fact, empathy has an important role in life.

The practice of empathy in life is so important that you have to improve and strengthen your empathy. It is because:

Empathy makes you more appreciative of others

 Empathy increases your inner love

 Empathy allows you to share the feelings of others

 Empathy will make people want to help each other

 Empathy makes it easier for people to connect with others

 Empathy makes it easier for everyone to have a better relationship with others.

After knowing the importance of empathy in life, you should increase your empathy. Most people think that empathy is a person's innate traits since birth, but actually, empathy can be grown and can be improved. And, family and school are two perfect places where the ability to empathize and sympathize can be well nurtured.

by Bus Dewanto

Sources:

1. https://lesley.edu/article/the-psychology-of-emotional-and-cognitive-empathy[:]