How to create top-notch relationships through empathy skills?
The word "empathy" did not appear until the early 20th century, and is derived from the German term Einfühlung, which means "emotional entry". It was first mentioned by German aestheticians at the end of the 19th century, who used it to describe the emotional experience induced by admiring works of art and feeling the experiences of others. The form of the word is derived from the early 20th century Greek word "empatheia" (em "to enter" + pathos "to feel"). This phenomenon describes how the artist projects the emotion of creating a painting onto the viewer and triggers a deep emotional resonance.
The difference between empathy and sympathy
"Empathy" is often confused with "sympathy". Although both have emotional overtones, their connotations are quite different. "Sympathy" appears much earlier, from the ancient Greek roots sún and paths, meaning "together" and "suffering", respectively. Sympathy is based on recognizing common human feelings and means that you feel sorry for someone else's misfortune. For example, you sympathize with someone who is struggling to find a job, but that doesn't mean you really feel their pain.
Empathy goes a step further. Empathy means that you are able to put yourself in someone else's shoes and experience their feelings. According to psychologist Carl Rogers, empathy is a dynamic ability that allows you to share in someone else's experience, which in turn inspires a caring response. For example, while sympathy makes you feel sorry for someone when you see them shivering in the cold rain, empathy allows you to imagine yourself in the rain, feel their cold and discomfort, and take action to help them.
The historical development of empathy
In the early 1900s, psychologists began to view empathy as a fundamental component of understanding human relationships. Rosalind Cartwright, while working at Cornell University, developed one of the first tests to measure interpersonal empathy, redefining empathy as "the feeling of feelings" and emphasizing that relationships were central to the concept.
In 1955, Reader's Digest introduced the term to the public, defining it as "the ability to assess another's emotions without substituting one's own so as to avoid having one's judgment influenced." This suggests that empathy requires cognitive understanding of another person's feelings, emotional resonance, and the ability to distinguish one's own feelings from those of another person so as to accurately perceive another person's emotions without becoming emotionally involved.
The neuroscientific basis of empathy
Psychologist Heinz Kohut defined empathy in 1959 as "indirect introspection," emphasizing the ability to consider another person's feelings as if they were one's own and to examine those feelings objectively. Neuroscientists have found through neuroimaging studies that empathy involves a complex integration of multiple brain regions, combining emotion and cognition.
Practical applications of empathy and sympathy
A great example of the difference between empathy and sympathy is provided by Patricia Simon, who went on vacation with her family to Syria in 2010 and returned home less than a year later when the political situation in Syria began to deteriorate. Patricia became very concerned about the Syrian people and registered a non-governmental organization called the Karam Foundation, which sends Americans to the Turkish-Syrian border to provide educational services to refugee children.
When I asked Patricia what drove her to wade into a dangerous war zone, her answer revealed the power of empathy. She grew up moving around a lot, always the new kid on the block, and was sensitive to the marginalized and invisible. She can understand what Syrians are going through because she has experienced similar plights firsthand.
Empathy requires more imagination and insight than sympathy. Patricia and her family empathize to understand the suffering of Syrian refugees and take action to help them. This empathy is not limited to personal experience, but extends to the entire group, inspiring more people to participate in relief actions.
How to improve empathy?
- Spiritual enrichment: Having a rich spiritual life and emotional experience helps to better understand the feelings of others.
- Developing the capacity to love: Loving oneself is a prerequisite for having the capacity to love others.
- Diversity of experiences: Rich life experiences enhance perception and understanding of different situations.
- Utilizing the arts: The ability to empathize can be enhanced by appreciating works of art and experiencing the emotions conveyed by the artist.
Empathy is a complex and powerful emotional capacity that goes beyond simple sympathy and enables us to truly understand and care about the suffering of others so that we can take action to alleviate their plight. Cultivating the ability to empathize not only helps us to better understand others, but also enhances the quality of human relationships and creates a more harmonious society. So, my friend, you can enhance your heart flow by adopting an approach based on Eastern philosophy, aesthetics, and feng shui Flow. You can wear jewelry containing the following materials:
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