Empathy and Compassion
EMPATHY is the ability to understand another person’s thoughts and feelings in a situation from their point of view, rather than your own. It differs from sympathy, where one is moved by the thoughts and feelings of another but maintains an emotional distance. [1] Renowned author Brené Brown has produced a short movie that illustrates the difference between empathy and sympathy. [2]
Three types or stages of empathy have been defined [1]:
(i) Cognitive empathy. An observer can recognize that another person is sad, angry, confused, etc. and understands why. Even people with anti-social personalities can observe these emotions. Indeed, a sadist or torturer can be empathetic at this level, it just depends on whether one takes that observation and uses it for positive or negative social interactions. An anti-social interaction includes indifference to another person’s distress or suffering.
(ii) Emotional empathy. The observer goes beyond simply recognizing a person’s emotional state but experiences a similar emotion in themselves. The situation need not be identical, because each individual is different, but the important thing is that the emotions resulting from the situation are the same.
(iii) Compassionate empathy. The insights gained from Cognitive and Emotional empathy mean that we not only understand a person’s predicament and feel with them, but we are spontaneously moved to help them, if needed.
COMPASSION is the feeling that arises when we are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering. While empathy refers more generally to our ability to take the perspective of and feel the emotions of another person, compassion is when those feelings and thoughts include the desire to help. [3]
Charles Darwin, in writing about natural selection, pointed out the importance of empathy and compassion for the survival of groups. Scientists have shown that empathy occurs in some of our primate relatives, notably the bonobo and chimpanzee, as well as in dogs and rats. So there is a genetic basis for empathy and compassion, and these qualities are not unique to humans.
Children appear to show evidence of empathy and compassion from the age of about two to three years. This is nurtured by a healthy family environment. However, empathy can be unlearned through mistreatment or neglect.
Low levels of empathy are seen in some mental health conditions, including autism and various personality disorders. There is even a move to define a condition called Empathy Deficit Disorder (EDD). [4]
Signs of individuals who lack empathy [4]:
• They jump fast into criticizing others without putting themselves in other people’s shoes.
• They seem to be cold or indifferent towards people that are suffering or are less fortunate.
• They believe 100% in the rightness of their own ideas and/or beliefs, and judge anyone who does not hold their beliefs as wrong, ignorant or stupid.
• They have trouble feeling happy for others.
• They have trouble making or keeping friends.
• They have trouble getting along with family members.
• They feel entitled to receiving favors and use you to serve their needs without showing appreciation. They will even get offended if they don’t get their way.
• In a group setting, they will talk a lot about themselves and their lives without really caring about what other people share.
• They do or say something that hurts a friend or a loved one, and tend to blame his/her actions on them. They truly believe that the fault is in the person receiving the hurt because they reacted poorly, were rude, or were oversensitive.
Darwin believed that, among primates, empathy was a powerful force that strengthened the bonds within groups and enhanced the likelihood of the species surviving. Among humans, psychologists agree that empathy and compassion are powerful and mostly positive forces for individuals and groups. We can see such forces play out among people at the familial, local, regional, national, and global levels, and even between humans and other sentient creatures. Empathy and Compassion are human traits that need to be nurtured and applied throughout our lives to have the maximum positive benefits for us and our society.
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References and Further Information
What is empathy? Learn about 3 types of empathy. https://takealtus.com/2020/06/empathy-1/
Brené Brown on Empathy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw
What is compassion? https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/compassion/definition
Why Some People Have a Lack of Empathy (And How to Deal With Them). https://www.lifehack.org/749842/why-some-people-have-a-lack-of-empathy-and-how-to-deal-with-them#signs-that-someone-lacks-empathy
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