How to Tell the Difference Between Empathy and Empathy
The words “empathy” and “empathy” are often used synonymously, but while both refer to how one responds to the suffering of the other, they do not mean the same thing or offer the same experience to you or the person receiving them.
For starters, here’s what Grammarly has to say about the history of empathy and sympathy and how they are connected:
Of the two words, ” sympathy” has emerged quite recently in the English language. Empathy was used for nearly 300 years before the first written mention of empathy appeared in the nineteenth century. You might have noticed that both words contain -pathy , and this makes them somewhat similar – they have the same root of the Greek word “ pathos” , which means “feelings” or “emotions,” but also “suffering” or “ disaster”. But while both words deal with emotion, they are still very far from synonymous.
What is empathy?
Empathy is the ability to imagine yourself in someone else’s situation, either because you have experienced something similar, or because you can understand their feelings to such a depth that it seems that you yourself are experiencing them. Empathy means creating a shared experience with another person.
Empathy tends to be like the person who is actually listening, and it might sound like “This has to be this difficult” or “How are you feeling?” A children’s book on empathy (Daron K. Roberts) explains it in a way that adults and children alike can understand:
This is when you feel with someone who is going through something difficult, sad, or frightening. Empathy means that you are listening, not judging, empathizing, or asking questions.
In other words, to empathize is to feel the emotions of others . This feeling with someone.
What is sympathy?
Empathy is not so much experiencing another person’s emotions as feeling and expressing your concern, pity, or sadness about their pain or unhappiness. Therefore, “empathy cards” are aptly named because they enable you to express the sadness you feel about their experiences.
When someone empathizes, they feel bad about what someone else is going through without going through the emotional path with them. Empathy sounds like “sorry” or “this really sucks.”
In other words, to empathize is to sympathize with the struggle the other is going through . This is a feeling for someone.