Sympathy
I read that sympathy is understanding how one's feeling, and expressing sorryow, where as empathy is understanding how one's feeling.
However, I came across this in a movie: Person A's parent just died. Person B is Person A's friend. Person B goes to Person A and talks to him.
Person A: "You don't know what I'm going through!" Person B: "You're right, I've never lost a loved one, but I still am sympathetic."
isn't sympathetic the wrong term? Because to be sympathetic you have to understand what they're feeling?
Top answer
I read that sympathy is understanding how one's feeling , and expressing sorrow , where as empathy is understanding how one's feeling . You've defined them as the same (except for expressing sorrow). This is not correct.
- I read that sympathy is understanding how one's feeling , and expressing sorrow , where as empathy is understanding how one's feeling .
- You've defined them as the same (except for expressing sorrow).
- This is not correct.
- These words are concerned with the more negative feelings like sadness and grief, not feelings like happiness and joy.
- Sympathy is knowing how someone feels because you have had that feeling yourself at some time in the past.
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I read that sympathy is understanding how one's feeling, and expressing sorrow, where as empathy is understanding how one's feeling.
You've defined them as the same (except for expressing sorrow). This is not correct. These words are concerned with the more negative feelings like sadness and grief, no
0Person A: "You don't know what I'm going through!" Person B: "You're right, I've never lost a loved one, but I still am sympathetic."isn't sympathetic the wrong term? Because to be sympathetic you have to understand what they're feeling?
No, because B is saying that he is sympathetic, i.e., he's saying that he understands, that he is sorry to hear the
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