Do you have sympathy? Or empathy?

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I have both sympathy and empathy; I love them, they're fun, they feel good, and they don't depress me.

I am a very sympathetic person, but unless I've been in the same situation as someone, my empathetic tendencies are sorely lacking. It's just very hard for me to put myself in someone else's shoes...

I've been told over and over by several different people that I have neither of those things. At least that are obvious to other people. I actually got broken up with after boyfriend's grandpa died and I didn't "comfort" him enough. I was like "I didn't know the guy... why would I be sad?" I told him I was sorry that he died. I guess that wasn't enough.

I've also been told that. And sometimes I feel very cold-hearted and very self-centered and un-empathetic to other people. I try to bring myself back - because I don't want to end up a bitter and cynical sob all alone and crazy.

I have tended to have problems with these....I have them, but tend to express them in a weird backwards way..if at all...

I have alot of frustration with the way my emotions tend to manifest.

I have no sympathy, or empathy, I was bad with it, I actually posted a forum about this too, awhillle back.. http://www.wrongplanet.net/modules.php? ... ht=#644685

I've gotten a lot better with it, but still have problems with it.

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Being Normal Is Vastly Overrated

I have both... I try to use empathy more though.

This is difficult. I am capable of reading when people are upset or stressed, through experience, and it upsets me that they are, and I try in my own way to help. Since I won't have the words to comfort them, I try to DO something for them, such as take on more workload if it's a colleague, or clean the house if it's my mum.

However, I don't feel the "right" emotions. My grandpa fell off a ladder last weekend and I had to look after my granny, his wife, whilst my mother took him to hospital. I have am mild enough to be able to imagine what is going through her mind, (grandpa won't be able to drive and she will lose her independence), which is sort of having empathy. But I don't feel it with her, I wasn't even upset at all, although I knew I should be - I do care about both of them. All I wanted to do was listen to my music on headphones. Again, I am mild enough to know that I can't do that, so I at least stayed with her and talked even if I was awful and made faux pas.

Eh. I'm somewhat sympathetic. When it is deserved and not merely some drama crap. Or when it's my kids. I'm not sure of the difference between sympathy and empathy.

i have both, but prolly apply them differently than many. im a biatch, what can i say?

I lack sympathy.
Empathy... I find I have more for people I don't know and who I read about than for anyone close to me.
And I have to really intellectualise to be able to imagine someone else's situation unless I have already experienced it myself.
And even when I do empathise, I find I can only offer assistance on a totally unemotional level

Yes, I think I have enough of empathy and sympathy, although I fail to express it in rea life, it seems it is easier for me with this online.

Everybody!

I had a post before were I tried to explain that sympathy is really a manifestation of empathy. Which means your going to have similar relative amounts of both.

http://www.wrongplanet.net/modules.php? ... c&p=880214