Comments on: Difference Between Sympathy and Empathy http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-sympathy-and-empathy/ Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:51:59 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Kevin Allard http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-sympathy-and-empathy/comment-page-1/#comment-11357 Kevin Allard Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:32:25 +0000 http://www.differencebetween.net/?p=1099#comment-11357 Empathy and sympathy are probably terms that need to be defined before they are used because people mean different things by them. I have always assumed the following meanings: Empathy = being able to understand what someone else is thinking / feeling. The components of the word mean "feeling into". Sympathy = agreeing with what someone else is thinking / feeling or feeling with with them as the components of the word are "pathy" - feeling and "sym" - with. Therefore I have always preferred sympathy over empathy. An enemy will work hard to gain empathy, but it is a friend who has sympathy by both understanding what I am feeling and then supporting me in that. I have never understood sympathy as merely feeling sorry for someone, but it seems that many people do understand the word in this way which is why they say they prefer empathy to sympathy. Empathy and sympathy are probably terms that need to be defined before they are used because people mean different things by them.

I have always assumed the following meanings:

Empathy = being able to understand what someone else is thinking / feeling. The components of the word mean “feeling into”.

Sympathy = agreeing with what someone else is thinking / feeling or feeling with with them as the components of the word are “pathy” – feeling and “sym” – with.

Therefore I have always preferred sympathy over empathy. An enemy will work hard to gain empathy, but it is a friend who has sympathy by both understanding what I am feeling and then supporting me in that.

I have never understood sympathy as merely feeling sorry for someone, but it seems that many people do understand the word in this way which is why they say they prefer empathy to sympathy.

]]> By: Difference Between IQ and EQ | Difference Between | IQ vs EQ http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-sympathy-and-empathy/comment-page-1/#comment-2217 Difference Between IQ and EQ | Difference Between | IQ vs EQ Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:30:35 +0000 http://www.differencebetween.net/?p=1099#comment-2217 [...] to get success in life-both personally and professionally. It measures concepts like intuition, empathy, stress management capacities, resilience and integrity. In an EQ test, the questions relate to [...] [...] to get success in life-both personally and professionally. It measures concepts like intuition, empathy, stress management capacities, resilience and integrity. In an EQ test, the questions relate to [...]

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