The word empathy comes from the Greek "ἐμπαθής" (empatheia) which means "passion", it is composed of the suffix of quality "eia" and the adjective "empathes", which means "affected" and "excited" and with the prefix Greek "in", which indicates that it is "inside." It is the cognitive capacity that a living being perceives to be able to process the information from the acquisition or the knowledge acquired, such as experience and subjective characteristics, in which it allows to value the information, but empathy can also be explained as a feeling of collaboration, affectionate, cordial, expressive of an entity that can affect another person
What is empathy
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It is the ability of a person to put or feel in the position of another and understand and know what that other person feels, or even what they may be thinking. The meaning of empathy describes, then, the ability to be in the "other's shoes."
The most empathetic individuals are those who know how to “ interpret others better ”. They are able to perceive a large number of information about the other through their non-verbal language, by their physical expression, by the tone of voice or their words, etc. Based on that information, the empath can decipher what is happening inside the other, what is happening or feeling. Also, because emotions and feelings are often a reflection of thought, you have the ability to conclude what that other might be thinking.
An empathic person is defined by having affinity and identifying with the other. Knowing how to understand and listen to their problems and emotions. When a person says that "there was an immediate empathy between them," he meant that they had an instant connection.
The definition of empathy does not mean that you think the same, or that you agree with the other person. What is the meaning of empathy really is that a subject understands the emotional state of the other and is able to put himself in their situation. Being empathetic means understanding, not justification.
Empathy is the opposite of antipathy because contact with others causes them pleasure, satisfaction and joy. Empathy is a positive behavior that allows building healthy relationships, creating a better coexistence among human beings.
Characteristics of empathy
To be considered empathic, you must have certain important characteristics, which are:
Examples of empathy
Empathy at school
Support a classmate with difficulties to carry out a simple task.
Empathy in sports
If watching a sport (game), one of the athletes is seriously injured in the middle of the game, many times the empath even has that same feeling of pain.
Empathy at work
It is when a boss or superior can communicate or explain clearly what they really want and how it can be achieved, in this case the workers will feel motivated and therefore carry out their work effectively.
All these examples are illustrated in the images of empathy that we find in books or on the internet, so that in that way we can better understand what empathy is.
Empathy in the family
Empathy first requires the ability to listen. Sometimes people need to be listened to and feel understood, not that their problems are solved.
This is an important issue in children. Since many times they demand to be more attended by their parents in their needs. The willingness to listen and put yourself in the child's sentimental position is very important. Parents should not rush into solutions. Since it is preferable that the child can find it by himself. But this is usually much easier when they feel understood.
In summary, it is of utmost importance that parents pay attention to their children's emotions and feelings, that they hear and understand them beyond words, to understand what kind of feeling they are expressing and thus be able to tune in better with them.
On the other hand, parents can teach and educate their children on how to be empathetic through images of empathy found on the web, which are illustrations that are easy for children to understand.
Empathy as a value
The definition of empathy can be taken as a positive value that leads to people being able to relate to others more easily, and pleasing, being of great importance for them to be able to connect with others, so that in this way they can have a balance in his emotional condition.
This is considered an internal value that every person carries and that gives them the ability to understand, understand, support, help and motivate their peers. It is to feel what the other feels, to admit that they require help from others to have a good evolution in all areas, to have this value is to be aware of everything related to the people around them, because if they do not they are fine, the empath feels the need to help them.
As people we have to, as far as possible, satisfy our needs, and most of them (if not all) demand intervention in their lives, even when it is in the most indirect way.
How to project empathy
Differences between empathy and sympathy
On the one hand, empathy is kindness, listening carefully to give an answer, finding the positive point of the problem that the other person exposes. In this way, empathy is composed of different skills of understanding non-verbal expressions, of emotions, the recognition that not all individuals feel the same in similar conditions, in addition to imagining how they would feel themselves if they will meet is their position.
For its part, sympathy tends to superficialize, it does not fit in with the other, it does not recognize their feelings and it does not help them. Sometimes, the sympathetic tries to collaborate by making people believe that what is happening "is not so significant", diminishing its importance, and adding some occurrence to their experiences.
Empathy Map
One of the empathy images that has become popular in recent years is the empathy map, which was created and developed by the company Xplane, which is a tool that approves characterizing, personalizing and knowing the customer segment. This map is an instrument that has been used for a long time, it is fundamental in Design Thinking, and others, in recent years it has taken a new impulse.
An empathy map is structured as follows:
- Conceptualize the business idea on the empathy map.
- Definition of the client section (Early Adopter).
- What you feel and think
- What he listens to.
- What he talks and does.
- What efforts, fears, frustrations and barriers you encounter.
