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Journal Entry
Empathy and Sympathy
Empathy is formally described as “Understanding what others are feeling because you have experienced it yourself or can put yourself in their shoes,” (Diffen, 2018). Whereas, sympathy is define as “Acknowledging another person’s emotional hardships and providing comfort and assurance,” (Diffen, 2018).
Empathy and Sympathy are completely different from one another, however, they are many times taken incorrectly and confused. 心理学课业代写
Empathy is being able to relate to the problems of others and understand their pain and suffering because the person has either been able to go through similar problems or simply because they are easily able to put themselves in the other person’s shoes. A good example of this would be that when a friend comes to another and shares his or her experiences with them about a recent breakup and the heartache they experience, the one listening to the feelings may well be able to experience it, having gone through a similar ordeal before. However, for someone who has never gone through that, understanding the situation and even being able to relate to it may be extremely difficult.
On the other hand, sympathy is just about showing compassion and understanding about a person going through a tough ordeal. 心理学课业代写
For example, when somebody’s loved one passes away, and people come to attend the funeral, most of them only give their condolences which are basically words that provide support and show their compassion, but they may not necessarily be able to feel the way the person who has lost their loved one feels. They may not even be able to relate, but rather they are just there to show their support and be there for the person, whom they feel sorry for.
So this is the difference between empathy and sympathy, which are often confused together.
References
Diffen, Empathy vs. Sympathy, retrieved 29-10-18 from;
https://www.diffen.com/difference/Empathy_vs_Sympathy
