What is empathy? The term empathy comes from the Greek “en”, meaning “within”, and “pathos”, meaning “suffering” or “feeling”. It is, therefore, the ability to identify with the mood of others, to understand what the other person is experiencing emotionally.
There is an Indian proverb that goes like this: before judging a man, walk three moons in his shoes. And that is precisely what empathy does: it allows us to walk in the shoes of others, put ourselves in their shoes, identify ourselves and understand their feelings. Outside of metaphors, being empathetic means being able to put yourself in the situations of others, recognize difficulties, understand their points of view and find the right key to help them overcome moments of error. In this Psychology-Online article we will see together the types of empathy according to authors, their characteristics and examples.
positive empathy
With positive empathy it refers to the ability to participate fully in the joys of others, being aware of his happiness. With the right distances and differences, positive empathy is very similar to sympathy.
- Is the affinity one has with friendsfor example, is often also based on common experiences, but does not provide for emotional sharing, the “feeling within” typical of empathy that surely implies more commitment and availability.
Negative empathy
When we cannot empathize with the joy of others This is when we can talk about negative empathy.
- An example: loss of a loved one.
In these situations, it is common not to be able to experience a kind of sympathy for the joy of another person not involved in mourning.
emotional empathy
Emotional empathy is one of the types of empathy according to Goleman, who also considers cognitive empathy and compassionate empathy. By is understood the emotional response that derives from the awareness that the shared emotion comes from the emotion of the other: feel what the other feels. Thanks to empathy, you understand and “feel” the mood of others, you perceive their emotional state and the “quality” of their life. Therefore, it can be summarized with “I feel the same as you”, in being able to perceive the emotions experienced by others, understanding what emotions the subject feels (what emotion is in a circle), of what intensity, what emotional mixtures the interlocutor experiences. , how emotions are associated with people, objects, events, internal or external situations that the other experiences.
Behavioral empathy
This type of empathy consists of understand behaviors and their causes, understand why the behavior and chains of related behaviors. Behavior, then, because empathy has and must also provide a response, in terms of behavior, to the other: it is the ability to communicate understanding of the feelings of others.
Relational empathy
This type of empathy can be conceived as a specific area of the behavioral component of empathy: it is a empathy experienced and perceived by the otherwith which to understand the map of the subject’s relationships and their emotional values, understand with whom the subject relates voluntarily or by obligation, with whom they must relate to decide, work or live, with whom they agree and who they do not, who influences your professional or personal life…
Cognitive empathy
Cognitive empathy is one of the types of empathy according to Goleman. Cognitive empathy is understood as an intellectual ability to identify and understand another person’s feelings. Understand the cognitive prototypes active at a given moment in time, the beliefs, values, ideologies, mental structures that the subject possesses and to which he or she is attached. In effect, the other’s thoughts are intuited and their point of view is understood, even without necessarily involving an emotional exchange. Therefore, an example of cognitive empathy would be “I understand what you are experiencing”.
Empathy in the parent-child relationship
For the growth of the child, an environment that facilitates their physical and emotional development is essential, a secure base to create the bonds necessary to face life. Indeed, educating on the basis of empathy means entering into a relationship with your children, trying to put yourself in their shoes and observing how they see the outside world.
Empathy is born in the child from the first days of life and, according to Hoffman’s theories, parents should learn from the child’s spontaneity to be empathetic people and educate and care for them above all through sensitivity and not punishment. Between parents and children, learning and showing empathy should be reciprocal. In the next article, we talk more about .
Empathy at school
Not all teachers are capable of showing empathy with their students and, at the same time, there are several relationship difficulties between children and the children who attend school, a set of aspects that risk even leading to . To improve relations between students and between students and teachers, perhaps we too should follow the Danish example and introduce empathy as a school subject: in this way, each one could better understand others and their emotions. The educational system itself and teaching methods would find very different bases.
The following article, you will find.
Empathy in the couple
Being in a relationship means bringing into the loving relationship what we are, our personal history and all the positive or negative experiences we have had. The more our relationships are based on empathy, the more it will be possible to be welcoming and receptive to actively listening to our partner. To be empathetic as a couple it is also need to accept differences, because it is easy to agree with those who have our same opinions or when we feel the same emotions. It is difficult to relate to diversity and accept that the emotional world or opinions of others have the same value as ours. Acceptance of the othertheir characteristics and their personality, is undoubtedly an essential factor in the love relationship and empathy can undoubtedly come to our aid.
Therefore, empathy is a very important capacity in a couple, it increases the degree of intimacy and mutual proximity and is an opportunity for growth not only for the relationship, but for the people who are part of it: feeling welcomed, respected and Not judged are necessary moments for the psychological well-being of each one. In this article, you will find more information about .
Empathy at work
In any work context, it is essential to develop empathetic listening, that is, a conscious listening based on the desire to create a solid team, so that a union can be created between personal well-being and productivity. When empathy is lacking, it is difficult to work well: those who fail to create solid relationships with their colleagues do not feel like an integral part of a team. It is an attitude that not only does not do good to the employee, who feels increasingly unmotivated, but also to the company, which should increase the well-being and gratification of the staff.
Empathy in animals
It’s not just instinct: animals experience emotions, they know who they are and they know perfectly well how to behave with others. It is the result of a study carried out by a group of Italian researchers, published in the prestigious journal “Royal Society Open Science”, which confirms it, which also demonstrates the existence of an empathic bond between us and our animal friends. In particular, it would be a one-way circuit, since it is the man who empathetically influences the animal, transmitting values and thoughts, without being able to authentically perceive what he feels, and not the other way around.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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References
- Palagi, E., Nicotra, V., Cordoni, G. (2015). Rapid mimicry and emotional contagion in domestic dogs. Royal Society Open ScienceDec 23;2(12):150505.
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