In general, we define empathy as the ability to feel the emotions of others along with the ability to judge what another person might be thinking and feeling. In common parlance, empathy is most often defined by the metaphors: ‘putting yourself in someone else’s shoes’ or ‘seeing through someone else’s eyes’
Psychologically speaking, there are basically four types of empathy in humans, which are self-empathy, mirror (emotional) empathy, cognitive empathy, and compassionate empathy, as described below:
• Self-empathy – Self-empathy is the act of giving ourselves empathy, listening to our own feelings and unmet needs with compassion and understanding. This does not make problems go away, nor does it magically make all our needs met. But it does help us feel connected and centered within ourselves. It can also be a tool to express ourselves more honestly. While it doesn’t make problems go away, it makes them easier to bear.
• Cognitive empathy – It means knowing how the other person is feeling and what they might be thinking. It is very useful in negotiations or in motivating people. People who possess good cognitive empathy (also called perspective taking) have been found to make good leaders or managers because they can motivate people to do their best. But there may be a downside to this type of empathy. If people who belong to the “dark triad” (narcissists, Machiavellians and psychopaths) possess a broad capacity for cognitive empathy, they can exploit others to the point of torture. Such people have no sympathy for their victims and expertly use their ability to gauge their cruelty.
• Emotional empathy – IIt means feeling physically together with the other person as if your emotions were contagious. It makes one well attuned to the emotional world of others, which is an asset in any of a wide range of vocations. There is a drawback associated with emotional empathy that occurs when people lack the ability to manage their own emotions. This can be seen as psychological exhaustion leading to burnout, as is commonly seen in professionals. The determined detachment cultivated by those in the medical profession is one way to nullify burnout. But when detachment leads to indifference, it can seriously hamper professional care.
• Compassionate empathy – Also commonly known as empathic concern, this type of empathy means not only understanding a person’s situation and feeling with them, but spontaneously moving to help them, if needed. In fact, empathic concern is the vital ingredient of an empathic response in a given situation. It is the most required type in people who work as social volunteers.
Empathy – a basic trait –
Empathy is inherently present in human beings to varying degrees and therefore we are affected by the situation of others differently. In fact, it is one of the basic traits of humans, so much so that anyone who lacks it seems dangerous or mentally ill to us.
Women tend to score higher than men on standard tests of empathy, social sensitivity, and emotion recognition.
Its inherence in humans can be established by the fact of how young children respond to the emotions of family members. In addition to children, some household pets also express concern when family members are in distress. The pets hover nearby and lay their heads on their owners’ slips, proving that even animals have empathy. In addition to humans, many other species exhibit the presence of empathy to a greater or lesser extent.
Convincing evidence for the presence of empathy in animals came from the following research. Researchers reported in 1964 in the American Journal of Psychiatry that rhesus monkeys refused to pull a chain that delivered food to themselves if doing so scared a companion. One monkey stopped flushing for 12 days after witnessing another monkey receive an electric shock. Those primates were literally starving themselves to avoid causing harm to other animals.
Role of empathy in life –
• Empathy plays an important role in our lives in almost all spheres. The skill of empathy, although we inherit it, can be cultivated, which plays an important role in us being successful in those spheres. The role of empathy in an individual’s life really depends on its conceptualization by the individual, which varies widely. However, empathy acts to reflect what is perceived and creates an atmosphere of support or confirmation.
• Empathy is a powerful communication skill that is actually underused by many. It enables one to understand the thoughts and resulting feelings created by them in others. Empathy also makes one respond to the feelings of others sympathetically so that they can gain their trust, further promoting communication. Our fear of failure, anger, and frustration are suddenly gone, allowing for more meaningful dialogue and deepening of relationships.
• Empathy is more than just sympathy, which makes the individual understand others with compassion and sensitivity. That’s why it plays an important role in the workplace, where many people work together to achieve something meaningful. It helps create a deep respect for co-workers, thus fostering a harmonious environment in the workplace.
• In the same way, empathy is of great help in our professional life because, in addition to facilitating communication, it makes us a sympathetic listener with our clients, so we can understand them better.
• Because empathy allows us to communicate effectively and listen with empathy, we are more likely to have successful personal and social relationships. In fact, empathy is capable of nurturing every type of relationship we enter or are in.
• Since it is clear that empathy affects our lives with far-reaching ramifications, we must help our children cultivate this trait so that they can become better human beings. Since empathy promotes prosocial behavior, it will help our children build close relationships, maintain friendships, and build better communities. Emotional intelligence has gained great importance in the last twenty years as a tool to develop the ability to work with one’s own and others’ emotions. One of the most important components of emotional intelligence skills is empathy.
Conclusion –
Without a doubt, empathy affects our daily lives immensely. This trait will be useful in situations where we find ourselves trapped, because it will make us understand the perspectives of others.
Although we are born with this trait, it happens to be underused by many. Since empathy is one of the most important skills to practice in order to be successful in everyday life, we should encourage our children to cultivate it.