Do you feel empathy?

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Empathy is for when you don't know what it's like but you still feel some of what they feel.

It is physically painful for me to see someone suffering, particularly suffering of the physical variety.

Comparison of Empathy with Sympathy oooooooo

Because of my observations that many people do not know the differences between empathy and sympathy, I will present my understanding of the subject before continuing my discussion of empathy and listening skills. My presentation will be clarified by the use of an example.
A man is talking about his father's death, which had occurred a week earlier. As he talks about missing his father and his powerful love for him, the man's voice gradually becomes filled with anguish and then he bursts into tears in front of a friend who is listening to him.

If the friend uses sympathy, she might think, for example: He is remembering his father with pain. Poor Roger. If the friend decides to verbalize her thoughts, she might say to the grieving man words such as: "I feel your pain."

If the friend uses empathy, she might think, for example: He is remembering his father with pain and also the pleasure of his love for him. If the friend decides to verbalize her thoughts, she might say to the grieving man words such as: "I feel your pain and also your great love for your father."

This sharing of the painful feelings of another person is characteristic of both sympathy and empathy. However, the person using sympathy would pay more attention to the pain than to the love for the father whereas the person using empathy would pay equal attention to the pain and love.

If the friend added "I'm sorry for your loss," this statement would also be characteristic of sympathy, but not of empathy. The person using empathy would share the grieving man's emotional pain, but not necessarily feel sorry for or pity him. Of course, one can use both sympathy and empathy, for example: "I feel your pain and also your great love for your father. I'm sorry for your loss."

The use of empathy and listening skills--empathic listening--sometimes leads to good relationships, emotional intimacy, and happy marriages. you guys know the difference?

No I don't I feel sympathy for a person, I don't give it 1 thought about them been also the pleasure of his love for him...

I can somewhat feel what they are going through in a "logical sense" but as far as showing it im not good at that and I can come off as not caring.

I feel a lot of sympathy and compassion, but I have problems understanding other people's (even people with Asperger's) emotions and "feeling what they feel".

No.

Supposedly, all people with Autism will lack empathy if one is to listen to clinicians and professionals (it's probably not as marked in AS as in Autism, but even Attwood has a lack of empathy being needed for AS). It's right in my case.

I can feel sympathy.

To some extent I do, but I'm not the best at showing it.

I sometimes fake it when I don't actually care. Although...I do *understand* the type of thing they're going through, and I care on an intellectual level (if I had the power to change their situation I would), but I don't *feel* anything.

Except other times I do, just depends on the situation. There are also times I do feel something, but can't express it, which is the exact opposite of what I just described above!

I believe I do feel- and show- empathy, but according to my family, I do not.

No.

But I can express it well. I learnt when to say when and to which situations between adults.

I'm currently learning what to say between children and between adults and children, too.

I can understand that if someone is crying or frowning, they are probably sad, so I feel sad too. If they are smiling, they are probably happy and I feel happy. But I cannot understand anything much more complicated than that.

Also, if someone's going through a situation similar to one I've been in and I can't determine what emotion they are feeling, I just feel the way I felt when I was in their place, whether they felt that way or not.

On occasion I can feel empathy toward people whom I know well but I have to be told how they're feeling first. If my roommate tells me she's had a bad day then I can totally relate but if she doesn't tell me I won't pick up on it.

So I came up with a really good solution. My roommate used to think I was cold and uninterested (sometimes even angry) towards her because I never picked up on how she was feeling. Once she let me know about how she thought I was feeling I started asking her, "How was your day?" in the evenings when we eat dinner together. It gives her a really good opportunity to vent as long as she likes and get my opinion on things. Now I use it as a sure fire approach to just about anyone. Everyone loves to have a completely absorbed listener.

If I have had the exact same experience then I can empathize otherwise no....but I am very sympathetic when people are in pain or ill. Im very good at taking care of people who are sick or injured....it makes me feel good that they need me, I guess.