The terms Empathy, Compassion and Sympathy are sometimes used interchangeably, while the three share similarities they are unique and should stand alone. Each is a response to others and how we react and respond to a person and situation.
Empathy is defined by Google as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. When you show empathy you can feel the feelings of someone else and you experience them as though they belong to you. You develop a deep understanding for the experiences of others because it feels as though you are involved in the experience as well. Empathy is all about awareness of another person's response and feelings and connecting to that awareness on a personal level. Empathy provides us with the ability to see the world through the eyes of another person.
Compassion is defined as sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it. Compassion is about being mindful of the feelings of others and wanting to help. It allows you to connect to people and you offer a safe place for sharing. Compassion is about understanding another's pain and a desire to help mitigate that pain. While experiencing compassion you are able to separate your own emotional state from that of another person.
Sympathy is defined by Google as feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune. Sympathy allows you to understand the feeling of another person but does not include the need to alleviate those feelings like empathy and compassion. While displaying sympathy you understand the feelings of someone else from your personal perspective but do not feel the emotions yourself.
I prefer to describe the three in terms of a row boat.
Empathy
You are in the boat with the other person and you are helping them paddle. You experience every wave that they do and you want to help. You become a mirror for their emotions and paddle in sync with the other person.
Compassion
You are in the boat watching them row, you provide encouragement and understanding for their experience. You realize it's their personal journey not yours but you are present and provide a new perspective. You provide a safe place and allow them to process and explore their emotions.
Sympathy
You are on the shore waving to the person in the boat. You can see their experience and feel pity for them from the shoreline. You can understand their experience from your perspective and you wish them well on their journey.
As you can see the three share similarities but are also very different.
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