Are the two interchangable? I already looked them up in the dictionary, but they both seem to be the same thing.
2006-10-08 06:48:11 · 10 answers · asked by catwomanmeeeeow 6 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
Sympathy is nowhere near as deep as empathy.
Sympathy is sort of like feeling bad for someone's misfortune.
Empathy is when you can vicariously feel their pain because you yourself have either experienced that sort of pain, or know what it feels like for one reason or another.
2006-10-08 06:54:37 · answer #1 · answered by Pedantic 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This may help. From www.reference.com
Synonyms: pity, compassion, commiseration, SYMPATHY, condolence, EMPATHY
These nouns signify kindly concern aroused by the misfortune, affliction, or suffering of another. Pity often implies a feeling of sorrow that inclines one to help or to show mercy: felt pity for the outcast. Compassion denotes deep awareness of the suffering of another and the wish to relieve it: “Compassion is not weakness, and concern for the unfortunate is not socialism” (Hubert H. Humphrey). Commiseration signifies the expression of pity or sorrow: expressed their commiseration over the failure of the experiment. Sympathy denotes the act of or capacity for sharing in the sorrows or troubles of another: “They had little sympathy to spare for their unfortunate enemies” (William Hickling Prescott). Condolence is a formal, conventional expression of pity, usually to relatives upon a death: extending condolences to the bereaved family. Empathy is an identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives: Having changed schools several times as a child, I feel empathy for the transfer students.
2006-10-08 15:21:07 · answer #2 · answered by Gin Martini 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sympathy is about how you feel about another person or animals suffering. Empathy is when you personally identify as if you were in the other persons position.
2006-10-08 07:07:38 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sympathy is where you see someone in a particular situation and feel sorrow for them.
Empathy is where you see someone in a particular situation and imagine yourself in that situation.
The former is generally where you see a situation that you might not have been in, for example where someone's child has died. In this case you would be sympathetic to their situation.
The latter is where you may have had a child yourself who died and therefore not only can you sympathise with the other bereaved parent but you know exactly how they feel because it has happened to you.
2006-10-08 07:00:02 · answer #4 · answered by quatt47 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sympathy you can express but not feel. Empathy you feel what the other person feels. They are not the same.
2006-10-08 07:14:06 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sympathy is when you (almost) pity the person and consider it right that he be sorrowful. Empathy is when you understand the grief, emotion but do not encourage the person to wallow in grief.
2006-10-08 07:01:55 · answer #6 · answered by Aussie 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
sympathy is feeling sorry that someone has had something bad happen to them. empathy is being capable of feeling what the person is feeling.
2006-10-08 06:57:28 · answer #7 · answered by count scratchula 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
having sympathy for someone means you feel bad for them, but it's never happened to you, so although you feel bad, you don't totally understand
having empathy for someone means you feel bad for someone, because it also happened toyou and you understand a lot of what they feel
2006-10-08 13:02:22 · answer #8 · answered by asking 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They both come from the Greek "pathos" (emotions), but in em-(pathy), where em- is "passion" the subject is vicariously part of the object's experience. In sym-pathy, (syn-), the emotions are simultaneous and similar, but separate.
2006-10-08 07:18:12 · answer #9 · answered by Em 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
empathy is a psychic power. sympathy is not
2006-10-08 06:55:43 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋