The Art of Compassion Versus Empathy

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There are many questions about compassion; is it the same as empathy? While they are closely related, there are some key distinctions between the two terms.

According to Webster’s dictionary, compassion is defined as “a feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to heal or relieve that suffering.” In other words, you feel the desire to help when you see someone else in pain.

Empathy, on the other hand, is defined as “being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another.” In other words, you are able to understand and share another person’s emotions.

Compassion and empathy are no longer vague concepts confined to classrooms, churches, and social work. They are now at the centre of the business world.

So, what is the difference between the two?

Compassion and empathy both refer to a caring response to someone else’s distress. While empathy refers to an active sharing in the emotional experience of the other person, compassion adds to that emotional experience a desire to alleviate the person’s distress

What might be surprising is how much that difference matters. As compassion and empathy are hailed as answers to the challenges of modern work, today the definitions have blurred. Many of us use the terms interchangeably, but that’s not correct. Empathy and compassion stem from the same root however there is a nuanced difference between empathy and compassion in everyday life. There’s also a difference between what it means to be an empathetic person versus a compassionate person.

What is compassion?

Let us look at leadership roles in the workplace and our families, understanding that difference and choosing your approach deliberately is critical. It can determine whether you and your team members will feel positive emotions. The latest research shows that focusing on compassion and mental health leads to strong, sustainable leadership. It also leads to greater self-awareness. So, compassion is kindness rooted in an appreciation of other human beings as real people who also suffer.

What is empathy?

Empathy is an understanding of our shared humanity. It’s the ability to see yourself in another person’s shoes. It evokes in us the desire to understand other people’s emotions. it’s actually instinctual or could be termed tribal.

There are many reasons to practice empathy, it’s good for our personal health and our work relationships. However, there is a flip side that psychologists term as emotional empathy. That’s our yearning to not only understand other people but to feel their pain. It’s even suggested that it can sometimes hurt more than help our relationships and our ability to lead effectively.

How do these two emotions differ?  

Compassion creates emotional distance between the individual and the situation. In a sense, true compassion is being kind regardless. It’s not easy, but that’s what makes your role in leadership necessary to practice both. Empathy can make us unconsciously more sympathetic towards individuals we relate to more. This makes us unlikely to connect with people whose experiences don’t mirror ours. Objectively, they mean the same, yet the relationship changes your emotional response.


Connect with Kez  and see all her books at www.kezwickhamstgeorge.com

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