Living a life is like riding a rollercoaster. It is full of ups and downs. However, there is no other option but to scream or enjoy the ride. Just like you, people around you also feel the same thing. One day they are happy and the next day they feel sad and so on. While it is normal, if you see someone that is close to you feel down, you may want to show them that you care and are there for them. This kind of feeling that you show toward a person can be sympathy or empathy.
Talking about sympathy and empathy, these two are similar. In fact, these two are often mistaken for each other. If you are one of those people who often mistake them and find it hard to differentiate them, you can check out the differences between sympathy and empathy from a psychological perspective below. All the information here is taken from Kampus Psikologi.
What Is Empathy?
Empathy is similar to sympathy. However, they are two different things and have some differences. What makes them different compared to each other is the response of people who are experiencing the problem when they get sympathy or empathy. According to Eisenberg in Gazzaniga, Heatherton and Halpern, empathy in humans arises through mutual understanding of emotional conditions and reflecting on the feelings of people who are experiencing these feelings in certain situations.
The result of empathy is used as the basis for mutual trust in having a conversation, because there is a feeling of being understood and the same experience between people. It is what makes people relatable, so that there is a sense of mutual understanding.
For instance, your friend is going through a breakup. They experience deep sadness due to losing someone they love. If you have experienced how it feels to breakup with someone that you love, it will be easier for you to identify the sadness because you have experienced it. You will know the feeling of denial because you are separated from the one that you love. Besides, you will also know the process of recovering from sadness. Basically, you will understand what your friend feels when experiencing a breakup. As you have experienced a breakup before, you surely know what it feels in your friend’s shoes. With the empathy that you have, you position yourself like your friend. Remember that your friend surely understands this and feels that you understand them.
By reading the explanation above, you may assume that empathy cannot be done without experience. If you think this way, then you are incorrect. In fact, it is still possible for you to feel empathy either emotionally or mentally, even if you do not experience it. This kind of feeling can be made by imagining how it would be like to be the one who experiences the trouble. Just like that, empathy will be formed from the imagination.
Signs that Indicate that You are An Empathetic Person
You can consider yourself an empathetic person if:
-
- You listen to your friends really well when they share their thoughts or feelings.
- You are trusted by your friends when it comes to their problems.
- You can understand your friend’s feelings when they are in trouble.
- You are a person who likes to think about others’ feelings or your friends’.
- You are often asked by your friends for advice.
- You feel depressed by sad events.
- You feel tired and depressed in certain situations in social circles.
While it is true that having high empathy is good because it will make you pay more attention to the happiness and goodness of others, there is a downgrade because sometimes you will feel depressed and tired more easily because you will always think about how others feel.
Is Empathy Useful?
Empathy is useful for developing social connections with other people. It develops a mutual understanding of what people think and feel, so that they can act according to the situation. If you have empathy, you will be able to control your emotions better. In addition, empathy also has the ability to increase positivity because of helpful behavior towards others.
What Is Sympathy?
According to the KBBI (Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia), sympathy is defined as feeling what others feel. These feelings include happiness, sadness, and so on. It is known as feeling sorry or sad for the misfortune experienced by others. The level of understanding of those with sympathy is different compared to the level of understanding of those with empathy. However, those with sympathy can still help others when they have trouble, as long as others ask them nicely. According to Einsenberg in Gazzaniga, Heatherton and Halpern, sympathy is the opposite of empathy. Sympathy arises from feelings of concern, pity, or sadness for one another. Basically, it involves feeling towards the person, which is different from empathy that involves feelings together with that person.
The Differences between Sympathy and Empathy
Compared to sympathy, empathy emphasizes more on the relationship between one person and another, thereby increasing deep understanding between others because you imagine yourself in the position of that person. As for sympathy, it is more shown as feeling sorry or sad for someone. When you have sympathy for someone, it means you understand that that person is experiencing issues or having hard times.
While it is good to be empathetic, it is better for you to try not to drown in the issues of others just to make them happy. Instead, you are recommended to strike a balance between being empathetic to others and to yourself.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
