What does a high level of empathy mean? Empathy: what is this human ability

In simple terms, empathy is a person's ability to empathize and understand those around them. Also, this definition can include many additional aspects. Depending on the characteristics and intensity of manifestation, there are several types of this condition.

What does empathy mean?

Translated from Greek, this term means empathy. If we turn to the scientific definition, then empathy is a person's ability to comprehend the inner world of another subject and empathize with his problems. Also, this feeling can be manifested by the ability to perceive the emotional state, fears and anxieties of other people, realizing that these phenomena have nothing to do with him.

There is a wide range of manifestations of this ability - from completely immersing yourself in the feelings of another person to objectively understanding the emotions of other people without being involved in them.

This state has no rational explanation and is not the result of intellectual effort. Empathic understanding arises on its own, in some cases against the will of the person. There are many theories about the origin of this feeling. Most experts are inclined to believe that this ability is transmitted at the genetic level.

For the first time in psychological practice, the definition was introduced by the American psychologist Edward Titchner. He also established a classification of the principles of empathy, which is used to this day. Many other scientists have also studied the mechanisms of this state.

The head of the Center for Progressive Development in Washington, Douglas Labier, proposes to introduce a definition of Empathy Deficit Syndrome (EDS). According to the scientist, the main problem of modern society is a reduced level of empathic understanding between people.

How empathy manifests itself

This state is manifested by a sincere interest in another subject, namely, his emotional state, problems and causes of anxiety.

This ability largely depends on other character traits, the level of intelligence and emotional activity of the empath:

So, if an individual endowed with this gift , is distinguished by egocentrism (inability to perceive other points of view) and is fixated on his person, he cannot penetrate deeply into the feelings and thoughts of the environment.
With insufficient intellectual development, an individual with empathic inclinations can draw primitive conclusions and misinterpret his feelings about the state of another person.
A similar situation can develop if someone who has this ability is emotionally dry.

It should be noted that in most cases those who have a tendency to empathy are people with a high level of spiritual and intellectual development.

The manifestations of this condition are:

intuitive awareness of the feelings and states of other subjects;
experiencing emotions similar to those experienced by the interlocutor;
the ability to try on the roles of other people;
skills to accept someone else's point of view without obstacles;
assessment of the situation from the perspective of another person.

In addition to involving their loved ones and colleagues in the experiences, empaths can demonstrate a high level of empathy for the characters in films and literary works. Each of the above skills can be manifested to a greater or lesser extent individually or in combination with other factors. The features of the manifestation of this feeling depend on what type of empathy the person is most inclined to.

Types of empathy in psychology

The study of this phenomenon is mainly engaged in by such specialists as psychologists, psychotherapists and psychoanalysts. In psychology, there is a separate direction proposed by Karl Rogers, which is called client-centered therapy and is based on empathy. It was on this that the psychologist built his work with patients.

Rogers defines this state as the ability to put on shoes and perceive the interlocutor's coordinate system from the inside.

According to the classification proposed by Edward Titchner, there are several types of this ability:

Emotional empathy. People who are prone to this feeling imitate the emotions of their environment and perceive their pain and experiences as their own. Moreover, at any moment they are ready to respond to the worries of their interlocutor.
Cognitive empathy... This ability manifests itself in the ability to compare and analyze the thoughts that bother the opponent. That is, the empath does not just perceive the feelings of his counterpart, but connects mental abilities in order to understand what is happening.
Predicative empathy- means to predict the feeling and behavior of another person under certain circumstances. This ability is especially clearly manifested in conflicts and quarrels.

There are also two distinct forms of empathy:

Empathy, which is expressed in the experience of the same emotions that the opponent is experiencing.
Empathy, manifested in the emergence of personal feelings about the situation in which the interlocutor is.

For example, if in a conversation between an empath and a colleague, the latter begins to cry, then with empathy, the subject with empathic inclinations will also cry. With sympathy, he can begin to feel sorry for him, worry, that is, express his own emotions.

The degree of manifestation of empathic tendencies

In psychology, there are four levels of empathy:

Elevated... It is manifested by a pronounced ability to delve into the problems of others. The individual ceases to separate his problems from those of others, which in most cases provokes many problems in his personal life. Most often, such people experience an unreasonable sense of guilt, suffer from excessive vulnerability and impressionability.
Psychologists call this kind of affective empathy. Many people with such inclinations, who manage to cope and control their emotions, begin to use their ability in professional activities. They make good specialists in the field of psychology and other areas of interaction with people.
High... Which means understanding the feelings and emotions of others without severe damage to oneself. These people treat their friends and relatives with sincere interest, while observing delicacy. They easily find a common language with others, are sociable and involved in social life. Sometimes a person with a high degree of empathic understanding awaits approval and support from the environment and, in the absence of this, easily loses his temper.
Normal... Typical for most people. It manifests itself by understanding, but indifference to the feelings of other people. Complicity in problems is shown mainly in relation to family members or friends.
Short... These people are called anti-empaths. They are not able to look at the problem from a different point of view or take a position that differs from their own. Anti-empaths are focused on their own experiences and are uncomfortable with other people. Therefore, his circle of communication is quite narrow, there are very few friends or no friends at all.

When does it manifest and what promotes empathy

It is possible to determine the empathic abilities of a person in early childhood. Such babies react too actively to the problems of their parents or their environment - they start crying when they hear crying, increased tone, swearing. In addition to tears, their heartbeat may become more frequent, their face blushes, and sweating may increase. There is no scientifically substantiated argument that this ability is innate.

But experts note that such children are most often born to parents who attach great importance to the experiences of other people. After being born as an empath, a child may develop this feeling or lose it. This ability is strengthened by a warm and trusting atmosphere within the family, a positive example from adults about the need for empathy and the ability to put oneself in the shoes of others.

Advantages and disadvantages

Having learned what empathy, many begin to strive to master this ability or develop it in their children. It should be borne in mind that often people with such a gift do not know how to use it for its intended purpose. Such a feature of the psyche can bring severe suffering to the subject, because in order to cope with other people's negative emotions, a strong character and a mature mind are needed. Therefore, having decided to develop this ability, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself not only with the positive aspects, but also with the reverse side of the coin.

The pluses include the following:

great prospects for professional development;
effective help to loved ones;
the inability to be deceived;
the ability to avoid and extinguish conflicts.

Among the cons are:

rapid emotional burnout;
susceptibility to anxiety;
high likelihood of developing mental disorders;
in the sphere of interpersonal relations, it is possible to form situations according to the “one-sided game” scheme;
possible lack of reciprocity on the part of others;
increased sensitivity leads to the fact that it is easy for such people to cause moral pain, and they themselves are not able to resist it.

How to develop empathic abilities in adulthood (video)

Some people, with little empathy, wonder how to strengthen it. Good advice on developing this feeling is presented in this video.

The word empathy comes from the Greek empatheia, which translates to empathy.

Empathy. What it is

A person's ability to experience emotional feelings similar to those of the interlocutor is called empathy.

In modern science of psychology, the meaning of this word is interpreted as the ability to understand the inner state of another person, to join the emotional life of another, sharing his experiences.

Empathy is an unconscious understanding of the needs and feelings of the people around you.

The first to use this concept was the American Edward Titchner.

Types and levels

In psychology, many tests have been developed that determine the level of empathy and the diagnosis of its type.

Levels

The increased level is characterized by pronounced empathy. A person is not able to separate his problems and feelings from the problems of loved ones, and sometimes completely strangers. Psychologists in this case talk about the affective level of empathy. Signs of affective-type empaths: too strong mental vulnerability, impressionability, unreasonable sense of guilt.

The normal level is inherent in the majority of the population. They try to keep their emotions under control and do not show them in front of strangers.
A low level is characterized by an inability to empathize and accept other points of view. The anti-empath considers the actions of people based on emotions to be meaningless. As a result, there are serious difficulties in contact with others.

In connection with the development of the level of empathy, it is customary to divide people into four types:

Non-empaths (or anti-empaths) - have a low level of empathy.
Weak empaths are the majority of the population. They have a fairly high level of empathy, they can control impressions received from the outside world, but not always well enough. Therefore, they are prone to stress and emotional overload.
Functional - people with a high level of empathy, able to control their own emotions without suppressing them. There are few such people, outwardly they do not differ from other people.
Professional - easily recognize the emotions of another person by the most insignificant forms and signs. Therefore, they can manage other people's emotions, directing them in the right direction. They are able to cheer up even a seriously ill person, and during a period of grief they can make them forget about sadness for a while, to believe in themselves when, it seemed, there is no longer any hope. Such people are very rare.

The psychology of empathic communication

Empathy is a very effective tool for communication between people. Like any toolkit, it is important to be able to apply it in life. Someone is helped by intuition, and some people have to learn to imagine themselves in the place of another in order to achieve success in life.

Sensuality and age

Even babies have some empathic reactions: if one baby begins to cry, then the children who are nearby support him in chorus. Young children are naughty or sad if someone in the household has a problem.

But the conditions of upbringing also play a role in the formation of abilities, they either dull or favor the development of empathy.

Usually, the capacity for empathy does increase with the accumulation of life experience. But there are also exceptions. Especially frightening is the low level of empathy in adolescents, when a person is no longer a child, but not yet an adult, thinking about the legal consequences of his actions.

Development factors

There are a number of factors that help develop the ability to empathize in a person:

Warm and trusting relationships within the family.
Adult empathy for other people.
A kind attitude towards other living beings: plants and animals. Especially at an early age of a child, his parents should draw the attention of their child to the fact, for example, that the cat hurts just as much as the baby when pulled by the ear, etc.
Emotional response to sad events is especially important, which helps to put yourself in the shoes of other people.

How it helps in life

People with a high level of empathy are friendly and sociable, they do not blame others for adverse events, do not require strong punishments for misconduct. Such people achieve much more success in life than those who constantly blame others and tend to see "a speck in the eye." People with low levels of empathy are unfriendly, withdrawn, and more aggressive.
Showing empathy in communication is beneficial for mutual understanding. This creates a favorable relationship for dialogue, joint solutions in any situation, even in a conflict situation.
Empathy will help not only in real life, but also in art: an actor to get used to a role, a director or a writer - to convey his thought to the viewer or reader, and to the viewer or reader - to understand the work of art and the author's thought, thereby enriching his spiritual essence and life an experience.

Elevated level

People with a hypertrophied level of empathy are constantly overwhelmed by a sea of feelings in relation to others. They do not know how to control their sensory ability, it takes on painful forms. Empaths often “tear their hearts” over other people's problems.

To be such a person is amazing, because you can understand another as yourself. But this is also a huge responsibility for your own health. You need to learn to control this feeling.

Here are a few rules to help you avoid wasting life energy:

Each person has their own life choices. If a person does not want to save himself, then the empath does not need to think about it.
An empath doesn't have to be an emotional healer. He should accept the feelings of the other person as they are, and not try to constantly interfere, especially if the "sick person" does not ask him about it.
To calm down and establish spiritual harmony, it is useful to meditate.
Don't try to be friends with everyone. If a person causes negative emotions or a depressive state, you just need to distance yourself from this person.

An empath must necessarily love himself for who he is, and not take on "the blame for the whole world."

Do you know tolerance? Read the article.

Development exercises

A decreased level of empathy is perhaps even worse than an increased level of empathy. Many psychologists state that empathy is an innate property. But special training will help to more accurately perceive the interlocutor and tune in with him to the same emotional wave.

learning to understand oneself - this is the first step for an adequate perception of others;
learn to manage not only your actions, but also your own thoughts and feelings;
learns to understand the feelings, and then the thoughts of other people.

Exercise 1: Guess the feeling

Participants are given tasks in which the names of different feelings are indicated. Everyone should mimic the indicated feeling. Everyone else is trying to guess.

Exercise 2. Mirror and Monkey

Participants are divided into pairs, in which one will be a mirror and the other a monkey. "Monkey" mimics and pantomime depicts whatever it wants, and the "mirror" must copy all the gestures.

After 5 minutes, "monkey" and "mirror" change roles, then the observers evaluate who was the best in this game.

The participant receives a secret task to talk on the phone with an imaginary interlocutor (boss, son or wife). The whole conversation is a pantomime, everyone else is trying to guess who the main participant is “talking to”.

There are countless exercises developed, you can come up with your own variations. The main thing is that such exercises cannot be done alone, you need other participants who serve as something like a "simulator for the development of empathy."

Empathy not only forms a decent, pleasant in communication individual and a humane society, but also affects the very specific achievements of a person in his social and personal life.

Video: Empathy and Sympathy

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Empathy or listening with your heart

Even as adults, we always hope that fate will give us a person who will understand us perfectly. The kind of person who will share with us our joys and sorrows as his own. This wonderful feeling that allows you to emotionally feel in your interlocutor is called Empathy.

Someone else's emotions - like your own

The ability to consciously empathize with other people's emotions, unfortunately, is very rare today. The term "Empathy" in psychology was one of the first to be mentioned in the writings of Sigmund Freud, who argued that the psychoanalyst, in order to carry out effective work with a patient, must take into account his emotional state. The psychoanalyst enters this state, after which he gains the ability to understand it by comparing it with his own feelings.

Empathy today means a lot. First of all, empathy is a conscious empathy for a person, his emotional state, without losing the feeling of external control over such a state. In medicine and psychology, empathy is often equated with empathic listening - demonstrating that the specialist correctly understands the patient's emotional state. In forensics, having the skill of empathic listening refers to the ability to gather information about an object's feelings and thoughts.

For psychics, empathy is considered a special feeling available only to some people. The value of this ability in extrasensory perception is great: it serves as a tool for perceiving the emotional states of other people "directly", as well as broadcasting their emotions, while the absence of direct contact with a person is not a hindrance. This feeling is equated with the concept of emotional telepathy.

The manifestations of empathy are very different: from complete immersion in the feelings of a communication partner (emotional or affective empathy), to an objective understanding of the experiences of a communication partner without strong emotional involvement. In this case, the following types of empathy are distinguished:

empathy - emotional responsiveness, the need to provide help;
empathy - a person experiences the same emotions as a communication partner;
sympathy is a very friendly and warm attitude towards a person.

Empathy is not associated with the perception of any specific emotion (as with compassion). This feeling is used to refer to empathy for any state. There are many professions in which empathic listening is not only desirable but even necessary. These professions include almost all professions focused on communication with people:

psychologists, psychotherapists;
doctors;
teachers;
HR managers;
leaders;
detectives;
officials;
sellers;
hairdressers and others.

As you can see, the application of this amazing property of our psyche can be found anywhere. People who have the ability to empathize are called empaths.

Can you become an empath?

You can often hear: "He is a born psychologist." Often such a phrase indicates a person's ability to emotionally empathize without special professional skills. Can you become an empath? Is empathy an innate or acquired ability? What are its signs?

According to biology, brain activity, reflecting the actions and state of other individuals, directly depends on the activity of mirror neurons. Biologists suggest that the strength of empathy depends on their activity.

An indirect confirmation of this is that people suffering from alexithymia do not have the ability to empathize, since their neurophysiological problems do not allow them to distinguish even their emotions.

Modern experts believe that empathy is an innate and genetic property, but life experience enhances or weakens it. The strength of empathy depends on the presence of a rich life experience, accuracy of perception, and developed skills in empathic communication. Initially, women, especially those who have children, have a more developed ability for empathy.

Provided that at least the rudiments of empathy are innate, its development can be accelerated by various training methods and special exercises that develop the skills of effective use of this ability in professional and personal communication. If you want to learn to understand the emotions and feelings of others, it is useful to practice such artistic studies, such as "Remembering faces", "How others see me", "Reincarnation." They also develop well the ability to empathize and sympathize with any fortune-telling, the game "Association". The development of empathy is facilitated by the general development of emotionality through dance, watching films, listening to music, and other methods of art therapy.

There are various methods and techniques to identify the level of empathy ability in people, as well as certain aspects of this ability. The most reliable diagnostics aimed at determining the level of empathy is called "Empathy Quotient", for Russian-speaking users there is its adaptation called "The level of empathy".

Advantages and disadvantages

Empathy is a real gift that not everyone knows how to use for its intended purpose. Often this property of the psyche brings suffering to a person, because people do not always experience only joy, happiness, love and other positive states. What for one person seems to be the ultimate dream, for another is a heavy burden.

The ability to empathize and sympathize presupposes that a person has a developed personality, since an immature mind is unable to cope with a flurry of other people's emotions. Having decided to develop empathy, it is not at all superfluous to evaluate the pros and cons of such a solution.

Empathy: what is this human ability

It is very important for a person to become happy, to live surrounded by loving and understanding people. In order to feel the harmony and happiness of life, you need to be able to compassion, understand other people. The amazing feeling that gives this opportunity is called empathy.

Explaining what empathy is, the definition of this gift can be given, armed with knowledge of the Greek language. Empathy in Greek means compassion, empathy. Simply put, a person-empath subtly perceives the feelings and emotions of others, he knows how to deeply sympathize with people. At the same time, the empath does not lose control over his own feelings.

Empathy - the ability to feel others

An amazing gift of nature

Empathy is a unique ability, it is not given to every person. For the first time this term was introduced into scientific use by the famous psychotherapist Edward Titchner. The scientist developed a scale for determining the level of empathy in people, the principles of its classification. His developments are also used in modern psychology.

According to psychologists, now the urgent problem of modern society is a strong lack of empathy. Douglas Labier, a leading psychologist, even introduced the definition of SDE (Empathy Deficit Syndrome).

This magical ability has many classifications and types. Empathy can exist in a pure (classical) form, or it can include a variety of additional aspects.

Emotions of strangers as your own

Empathy is a person's ability to subtly perceive other people's troubles. She never found a rational explanation. Empathic perception does not depend on the intellectual level, education of a person. Most scientists are inclined to believe that empathy is an ability that is transmitted at the genetic level.

What is empathy

This skill is an important addition to the professional activities of many specialists:

psychoanalysts get a complete picture of the mental and emotional state of the patient;
for psychologists, empathy serves as an important lever for understanding the interlocutor and accurately identifying problematic conditions;
for forensic scientists, such a gift helps to piece together the slightest nuances about the thoughts and feelings of the victim / perpetrator;
doctors can assess how ready the patient is for medical manipulations and how effectively the patient responds to treatment;

Empathic ability is considered not only important, but also a necessary quality for people. This is especially true for those whose work activities are directly related to communication: teachers, educators, managers, agents, managers, salesmen, beauticians, stylists.

How empathy is born

You can notice that a person subtly perceives the feelings of others already in early childhood. Little empaths:

They overreact to any manifestation of parental emotions. To quarrels, the increased timbre of the voice responds with crying.
Problems of a somatic nature also appear: the face of babies turns red, the heart begins to beat more often, there is increased sweating.

Scientists note that empath babies are more likely to appear in families where parents are more attentive to the feelings of others. Congenital empathy can fade over time or become stronger and more pronounced. A warm, trusting atmosphere in the family, competent upbringing based on caring for others helps to strengthen the ability to feel.

What determines the ability to empathize

Empathy in psychology is a complex science based on the primary sincere disposition to the interlocutor, the desire to understand and listen to him. A number of other personal qualities (character, level of education, intelligence) also affect the empathic gift:

Qualities such as pedantry, severity, dryness interfere with the full manifestation of empathic abilities.
If a person has egocentrism (focusing on his own person), empathy is unfamiliar to him.
An insufficiently high level of intelligence prevents the empath from adequately assessing the situation. Such a person will incorrectly justify the feelings of the interlocutor.

More often, individuals with an increased threshold of intellectual and spiritual development are prone to manifestations of true, deep empathy. Such people know how to closely contact the emotions of others, passing them through themselves. They are intuitively aware of the thoughts that torment their interlocutors, and adequately assess the emotional states of their opponents.

In addition to the ability to empathize and subtly feel the emotions of others, empaths can also vividly perceive exciting situations from books, films, theatrical performances.

Is it so good to be an empath?

After learning what empathy is, many people strive to develop such abilities. But do not rush into the pool with your head. Empathy is an important skill, but it must be used wisely. Many owners of the gift suffer from it. After all, it is extremely important for empaths to have a strong will and a strong, mature character. Otherwise, coping with the influx of other people's emotions becomes an overwhelming task.

Indeed, in addition to invaluable advantages:

the ability to help family and friends;
resolution of any conflict situations;
impossibility to be deceived and to be deceived;
excellent prospects for professionalism.

Empathy also has negative sides, the other side of the coin. The disadvantages of this ability include:

frequent feeling of emptiness;
the risk of developing mental disorders;
rapid emotional burnout;
lack of reciprocity, which adds unnecessary experiences;
heightened perception of moral pain that empaths cannot resist.

The features of the manifestation of empathic tendencies are individual. They depend on the level and type of gift to which a particular person is inclined.

Types of empathic abilities

Among specialists there is a developed classification that determines the categories, forms and degrees of empathic abilities. The gradation was developed by Carl Ransom Rogers (American educator and psychologist).

Emotional. An emotionally empathic person is a person who very closely perceives other people's experiences. They literally let them pass through themselves, taking the interlocutor's pain as their own. At any moment they respond to the trouble of strangers and always come to the rescue.

Emotional empathy is the most common, and it is on it that friendly and understanding relationships are built.

Cognitive. A gift of this level is based on the ability to analyze the information received. Cognitive empaths first make a comparative characterization by analyzing their own thoughts and those of opponents.

Such people not only subtly perceive and feel the emotions of the interlocutors, but also connect their own intellect in order to thoroughly analyze the events. Their important task is to realize and fully understand. This kind of empathy is seen in scientific controversy and debate.

Predicative. "Predicate" means "a statement about a certain subject." This level of empathic ability is based on the ability to predict the behavior and feelings of opponents on an intuitive level. Such manifestations are more vividly observed in any conflict situations and quarrels. A predicative empath knows how to put himself in the place of the interlocutor and understand his experiences “from the inside,” not contemplating, but penetrating deeply.

All categories of empathic abilities are observed in every person, to one degree or another. The level of their development depends on the nature of the personality, temperamental characteristics and the development of brain activity.

Forms of empathic ability

In empaths, psychologists also distinguish between two separate types of empathic states:

Sympathy. An ability that is formed on the appearance of a personal sensory attitude to an event that occurs with an opponent.
Empathy. Empathic empathy is based on the emergence of persistent emotions in the empath, the same as those experienced by the interlocutor.

How different forms of empathy manifest themselves can be understood by observing the response of an empath. For example, if during a conversation the opponent begins to worry to tears, provoking response tears in a person-empath, this is the ability to empathize.

With sympathy, the empathic person begins to show his own sound emotions, similar to those experienced by the interlocutor.

Empathy development levels

Among psychologists, there are certain tests that help to identify the degree of development of empathic abilities. There are four of these levels:

High (affective). This level is characterized by an increased ability to fully penetrate and feel the feelings of others. The empath "gets used to" the opponent's problems to such an extent that he ceases to distinguish his own misfortunes from those of others.

If an empathic person does not have a strong enough, tough character, affective empathy can provoke him mentally and personally.

Such individuals often suffer from overdeveloped impressionability, vulnerability. They have a superfine mental organization. If empaths are able to cope with the torrents of other people's troubles, in the professional sphere they achieve high skill.

The main rule of empathy

Increased. Empaths of this level of development perceive other people's pain and emotions without much harm to themselves. They show a sincere interest in the interlocutor's problems, but maintain some delicate distance. Such personalities are communicative, social, they easily find a common language with any person.

Normal. The most common level of empathic ability. It manifests itself as a good, innate gift for understanding the problems of strangers. Such a person is not indifferent to other people's troubles and is responsive to help. The increased participation in troubles and problems on the part of the empath falls on loved ones and relatives, rather than on outsiders.

Short. There are also people who have no sense of empathy at all. These personalities are also called "anti-empaths". They are not flexible thinking and are not able to look at the problem from the outside. Nothing will force them to accept the opponent's position if it differs from their own.

Anti-empaths are completely focused on personal life and problems, they experience some discomfort among outsiders. They are bright egocentrics-introverts with a narrow circle of friends and pronounced problems in the ability to contact others.

How to become an empath

Is it possible to develop innate empathic abilities? According to psychologists, empathy can be trained and improved (provided that you have such a gift). Various trainings and specially designed exercises for the development of mindfulness will help in this.

How to develop empathy

Artistic studies are especially good helpers in training empathic abilities. These include:

training to memorize faces;
exercise on the ability to look at yourself from the side;
reincarnation into other people, animals, birds, insects.

The development of empathy is facilitated by associative games, dancing, watching good exciting films, listening to music. Develop your own emotionality, and empathy will come with it. But before you become an empath, determine for yourself whether you really need this ability and whether you can manage it.

What is empathy, or the ability to empathize with another person, and how can you develop it?

For full communication with people around, a person must be able to understand their feelings and experiences. This is the key to building strong relationships in society. The ability that allows a person to share the emotions of others is called empathy. Let's take a look at what empathy is, how it is useful, and whether it can be developed.

What is empathy?

Empathy is the ability of a person to perceive the feelings and emotions of others without identifying them with their own. In translation from Greek the word "empathy" means "empathy". The term "empathy" appeared in psychology thanks to the American psychologist Edward Titchner, who studied this phenomenon and compiled a classification of the principles of empathy.

People with the ability to empathize are called empaths. This ability is expressed in everyone to varying degrees - from weak to very strong. Some empaths become so involved in the experiences of another person that they are completely absorbed by them, and begin to perceive other people's emotions as their own. But most empaths can empathize with the other person without transferring their feelings to themselves.

Empathy is a very valuable quality for representatives of such professions as a doctor, teacher, psychologist, psychotherapist, HR manager, company manager, investigator, etc. Almost all professions focused on communicating with people require some degree of empathy, skill understand and feel the inner state of another person.

Types and levels of empathy

Edward Titchner identified several types of empathy - emotional, cognitive and predicative. Let's consider them in more detail.

Emotional. This type of empathy is based on a person's tendency to imitate the emotions of the one who is next to him, to sympathize with him, projecting his experiences onto himself. Much of human communication is built on this type of empathy.
Cognitive. In this case, the empath can not only feel the experiences of another person, but also perceive them from the position of reason - analyze, find patterns, compare. This makes it possible to understand the interlocutor more deeply.
Predicative. This type of empathy allows you to predict a person's reaction to a particular situation. An empath can mentally put himself in the place of his interlocutor and understand what feelings and experiences any situation will cause him.

In addition to species, there are also levels of empathy, each of which characterizes how much a particular person is capable of empathy.

Low level. People with low levels of empathy are incapable of perceiving other people's experiences. They are focused only on their own feelings and emotions, so it is difficult for them to understand how the other person is feeling. Such people are called emotionally callous. Usually they try to isolate themselves from others, their social circle is very narrow.
Average level. Most people have an average level of empathy. At this level, a person is able to understand the experiences of others, but at the same time remains indifferent to their problems. Only close people arouse his sincere sympathy and a desire to help.
High level. A high level of empathy allows a person to understand and feel the emotions of other people well, but at the same time he knows how not to project them onto himself. Such people, as a rule, are sociable and easily make contact. Possessing a high level of empathy, they expect the same manifestation from the people around them.
Increased level. People with an increased level of empathy are quite rare. Their feature is the ability to experience other people's emotions as their own. Because of this, a person has a lot of problems in life. He is very vulnerable and often feels guilty. However, if a person manages to cope with an increased level of empathy, they can turn out to be an excellent specialist in the field of medicine or psychology.

The pros and cons of empathy

Like any phenomenon, empathy can be beneficial or harmful to a person. So what are the pros and cons of empathy?

due to the ability to understand others, a person can become a good specialist in any field of activity related to people;
ability to think outside the box and find original solutions;
the ability to provide support and help to other people;
the ability to recognize lies and insincerity;
the ability to effectively resolve conflicts or avoid them.

inability to show healthy aggression if necessary;
emotional burnout;
constant worry about other people's problems;
tendency to mental disorders;
other people may begin to take advantage of the person's kindness;
increased anxiety and vulnerability.

How to develop empathy?

Empathy is an innate feeling and to one degree or another is inherent in the vast majority of people. With age, the ability to empathize can either increase or, conversely, weaken. It is easy to develop it in young children if you teach the child to sympathize with other people and animals, to understand other people's pain and suffering.

A trusting and warm relationship between family members helps to increase the child's level of empathy. If adults teach a kid to love nature, take good care of animals and plants, explain that every living creature is in pain and may need help, the child will be able to develop the ability to empathize.

There are exercises to help develop empathy. They are suitable for both children and adults looking to improve their level of empathy. They are performed in a group of several people. You can train together.

To complete the exercise, you will need cards on which you need to write the names of different emotions - joy, anger, sadness, bewilderment, surprise, etc. Then the cards are handed out to the participants. Each of them must, with gestures and facial expressions, depict the emotion that is indicated in his card. The rest of the participants must guess what kind of emotion the person is trying to show.

Participants are divided into pairs. One of them takes on the role of a monkey, and the other is a mirror. "Monkey" should grimace, grimace and portray any emotions and feelings. The task of the "Mirrors" is to repeat them as accurately as possible.

One of the participants should pick up a phone (or imagine that he has a phone in his hands) and start a conversation with an imaginary interlocutor. Before starting a conversation, he thinks with whom he will "talk", but does not inform others about it. The task of the rest of the participants is to guess who the interlocutor is (wife, friend, boss, client, mother, child, etc.).

Empathy is a very useful quality and can and should be developed. However, it should be understood that too deep immersion in the problems and experiences of other people can lead to sad consequences. Therefore, every empath must learn to empathize with the other person without projecting their emotions and feelings onto themselves. The ability to distinguish between your own and others' problems is the key to the emotional stability of an empath.

What is empathy in psychology and how to develop it?

Often we do not think about the psychological component of our behavior and emotions. Some of them seem absolutely normal to us. So, the ability to empathize with other people in a difficult situation may seem natural to others, but there is a scientific explanation for this fact, and knowing what empathy is, you can better understand a person, his emotions and feelings.

Empathy - what is it?

Nowadays, you can hear this word more and more often, but few people know what empathy is. This term does not mean a specific action in comprehending experiences - it is a complex set of gestures, words, feelings, emotions that speak about this action. Empathy is the ability of a person to be aware of the events taking place with a person and, if necessary, to empathize with them. Moreover, such actions take place absolutely deliberately.

What is empathy in psychology?

There are some nuances when using the term in question. So, empathy in psychology is a natural manifestation of one's emotions with empathy. Each person has its own level of such perception - from complete dissolution in a person's problem to a stingy display of emotions. Often empathy in psychology manifests itself as a reflection of the feelings and sensations of a partner, and, as a rule, arises from the perception of external signs of the manifestation of emotions - gestures, conversation, actions.

What is empathy in pedagogy?

It should be noted that empathy in pedagogy is of no small importance. Teachers or educators are psychologists to some extent. It is important to establish a type of psychological interaction between the teacher and the students that is suitable for both sides. In this case, empathy is the teacher's ability to understand, and in some cases predict, the mental state and emotional state of the child.

This is important in a situation when the teacher sees the student's talent and abilities and gives him more difficult tasks, helps him feel more confident when answering at the blackboard - asks leading questions, at the appropriate moment can praise or scold the student. Naturally, it is impossible to cross the established boundaries between teacher and student - parents should deal with more serious issues of upbringing, and excessive emotionality or empathy can harm the educational process.

Is empathy good or bad?

A similar feeling is characteristic of almost all living things, and man is no exception. The peculiarity is that everyone experiences a different level of the sensation in question. Someone may react sharply to any manifestation of feelings of another person and empathize with him - this will be a high level of empathy, and for someone it will not be enough to have a kind word or deed without violent emotions and shouts.

The first option can sometimes negatively affect the mental state of such an emotional interlocutor. Sometimes it is difficult for him to abstract from the experiences of another person - this can turn into a phobia or mental disorder, but in the absence of fixation on his feelings, the people begin to understand people better. Lack of empathy can affect the individual's relationship with society. He will be called cold or callous, and sometimes he will be reproached for the impossibility of experiencing with others.

Regardless of different situations and circumstances, the golden mean is important. In the modern world with its bustle, frequent substitution of moral values and a frantic pace of life, it is extremely important to remain a person. The ability to empathize and not be indifferent in some cases will be appropriate, and its extreme degrees of manifestation can negatively affect the person himself.

Empathy and liking - the difference

The concepts of empathy and sympathy, it would seem, are the same, but the meaning inherent in them still has differences. Empathy is characterized by merging with the emotions of another person, trying them on yourself, but not participating in them, and for sympathy - showing attention to the individual, his problem or emotions, perhaps some participation, and most importantly, transferring such feelings to your own skin ...

How is empathy different from reflection?

The terms empathy and reflection differ from a psychological point of view. The second concept is characterized by experiencing and thinking about one's own feelings and emotions, studying the inner psychology of a person. In some cases, it will be a reassessment of values, thinking, decision-making mechanism. Unlike empathy - the perception of the emotions of other people, this concept refers to the experiences of the person himself, and not of another person.

Types of empathy

Knowing what empathy is, you can understand some of its features. So, there is an opinion of highlighting the individual components of the word in question - sympathy and empathy. In the first case, this is a kind of manifestation of one's emotional reaction in response to a person's experiences. Empathy is a psychological ability to take on the same emotions and feelings that another individual experiences.

Typically, expressions of empathy can be divided into three groups:

cognitive - which includes intellectual processes - analogy or comparison;
emotional - which consists in imitating some of the reactions of a person;
predicative - a feature of which is the ability to predict various reactions to what is happening.

Empathy level

There are three main levels in the development of this feeling:

The first or low level of empathy is characterized by the individual's concentration on himself and his worries, lack of interest in the life of friends or colleagues. For such people, it can be difficult to maintain a conversation or take part in social activities.
The second level is the ability to empathize with other people at some moments, and sometimes be indifferent to other people's worries or troubles. This group includes the public who rarely show their emotions. More often than not, she remains reasonable and calm.
The third level is often characteristic of emotional and sensitive people, there are few of them, but they are able to perfectly understand and feel others. They are the best friends, sincere, capable in any situation to grasp the essence of the issue and find suitable words and solutions, but sometimes they are based only on feelings.

How to develop empathy?

There are some points that can develop a sense of empathy, or at least be useful for a deeper understanding of the issue. Among some tips, there are those that speak about the study of personality - its behavior, emotions, reactions to various factors or stimuli. What is empathy and how to develop it:

Listen to your interlocutor - this method helps to awaken emotions and better understanding of your partner.
Pay attention to the people around you in different situations and try to understand what they think about, what professions they represent, what territorial position they belong to.
Start conversations with strangers: on a minibus with a fellow traveler, while traveling by train or on the subway. Curiosity is one of the tools for developing empathy.
Put yourself in the other person's shoes so you can look at things from a different perspective. As a subject for adoption, one can turn to psychological films, the characters of which are in a desperate situation. Try to figure out what to do in a given situation.
Develop skills in identifying your own emotions and feelings, engage in the development of emotional memory.

Empathy exercises

There are two simple and effective exercises that stand out from the many that can develop empathy in a short time:

"Telephone". The essence of this method lies in the fact that with the help of facial expressions and gestures, you depict an object or topic of conversation, and those around you must guess what it is about.
"Mirror and Monkey" One of the favorite children's games, but it also helps to reveal the emotional state of an adult and get into a comfortable zone. For this exercise, get a companion, stand in front of your partner and use gestures to show different feelings, then switch places with your friend and repeat the same steps. This will help you learn to understand the emotional state and feelings of the people around you.

How to manage empathy?

It is often difficult for a person who sees in himself some of the properties of an empath to cope with them. Excessive worries about strangers and strong empathy are not always beneficial. In such cases, it is important to show the ability to manage this state - to let go of the situation, relax and be distracted by another matter. Spend more time with loved ones or hobbies. It may be worth thinking about your experiences and problems that are not related to other individuals. At the same time, you must not forget about your health.

How to get rid of empathy?

Hypertrophied empathy is often the cause of anxiety in a person. This problem can cause difficulties in communicating with people. You can get rid of it by managing the feeling in question and your emotions, switching to your own worries and hobbies. It is important to enjoy communicating with a person, to find positive moments in him. Empathy is the ability to empathize with a person, to feel him, so you should think about the fact that a complete deliverance from such a feeling can lead to rejection from society and contribute to the isolation in oneself.

Empathy, personality trait, or psychic ability?

Empathy is a rare ability that consists in an unusually subtle comprehension of the feelings and emotions of another person, as a rule, the interlocutor. Also, this concept includes many additional aspects: this is the ability to put oneself in someone else's place, and the tendency to empathize, and the ability to feel someone else's mood.

Perhaps, for the most part, this is a personality trait of a human character, rather than a psychological characteristic.

Psychological works and treatises on this topic have been written for more than a decade. Almost all eminent psychologists and psychotherapists, including Sigmund Freud, known to everyone, took part in the development of this issue. He argued that having empathy includes not only a subjective understanding of someone else's world, but also the ability to feel all emotions (both positive and negative) from the point of view of another person.

Empathy level.

Empathic abilities are rarely innate. Most often, individuals acquire them along with an ever-increasing experience. Most often, empathy elicits several responses at once. A person with this gift can simultaneously sympathize, empathize and experience an overwhelming sympathy for the individual with whom he now has an emotional connection.

Empathy levels are a fairly relative concept. However, the Internet is replete with tests offering to find out the presence of this characteristic online. Most often, site creators offer to determine what level of emotional intelligence you are at and divide empaths into 5 groups:

the first group is not aware of themselves as empaths. They feel emotions and experiences, but they identify themselves with them, and not some other person;
the second group is aware of what they are capable of, but does not fully understand their capabilities and the nature of this skill;
the third group quite clearly uses their abilities, tuning in to any person whose inner world is of interest.
the fourth group will be able to master all possible emotions and gradually learns to control their "victims" in this way;
and the fifth group has mastered empathic abilities to the fullest, having learned not only to share their feelings with the emotions of other people, but also to gain control over other personalities.

At the moment, empathy is divided into several types:

Emotional (it is based on imitating the motor responses of another person).
Cognitive (based on intellectual processes).
Predictive (manifests itself as the ability to predict the reactions of another).

To one degree or another, empathy is subject to each of us, if not to say more: it is necessary. It is needed by people whose professions are directly related to communication: psychologists, leaders, managers and many others.

Development of empathy.

Not a small fraction of people are ready to give a lot, just to develop empathic abilities in themselves. Experts say that this is quite possible and recommend a number of play exercises:

Active listening. Learn (or teach) to listen to the interlocutor and ask questions that would help him to more fully reveal the topic being put forward. Also, the ability to share your impressions of what you have heard will be a useful skill (for example: “It was very painful for me to hear your story”).
Exercise "Shelter". To perform it, you need to sit in a chair, relax as much as possible (close your eyes and take a comfortable position) and imagine your ideal refuge. Its forms can be strikingly different. For some, this is the house in which he was born and raised, but for others, a hut in the forest, where no one will find him. Such fantasies will largely relieve emotional stress and allow you to "shed" excess burden.
Pronouncing compliments. Praising others is an important part of all trainings. You need to start with at least a few flattering compliments a day, because soon enough it will become a habit, and you will begin to find real reasons to be proud of your environment.
Analysis of your behavior. Someone thinks this is a meaningless reflection, while someone else is a productive analysis of committed actions. To do this, you can keep a diary, or simply set aside a few minutes every day for a frank conversation with yourself.

It should be borne in mind that the older a person is, the more difficult it is for him to develop empathy in himself, since the experience he has experienced does not always allow him to objectively evaluate others.

Also, remember that acquired empathy can be easily destroyed by fear alone. It is reliably known that empaths try to avoid conflict situations, protecting themselves and others from quarrels and disputes. However, if this fails, sensitive people begin to suffer from panic attacks and look for ways to correct their thinking, which fundamentally destroys all their abilities.

The ability to empathize is genetically linked to schizophrenia and beyond

A team of researchers in England and Denmark found a link between genetic predisposition to mental disorders and the severity of the ability to understand the feelings of others. Scientists made this conclusion after studying more than 45 thousand samples of genetic material. Details of the work can be found in the journal Nature Translational Psychiatry.

The ability to understand the feelings of other people develops at an early age and is closely related to the social conditions of a person: the living environment, as well as relationships with peers and parents, directly affect empathy and one's own normal response to other people's behavior. In addition, gender matters - it is known that women are more attentive to feelings than men. Differences in empathy can be observed with some mental disorders, for example, in autism, understanding of the emotions and feelings of other people decreases, and affective empathy or the experience of another person's feelings as their own is affected to a lesser extent.

Led by Simon Baron-Cohen of the University of Cambridge, scientists tested how these factors affect an individual's ability to care for others. As a result, they were able to draw a conclusion about the genetically natural development of empathic abilities. After conducting a genome-wide search for associations of genes in the suppressor of Europe, more than half of which are women (24543) and men, the authors suggested the phenotypic origin of the ability to empathy.

To identify the level of empathy, the scientists asked the participants to go through a short questionnaire consisting of 60 descriptions of some life situations. Next, the authors calculated the number of points scored - a maximum of 80 and a minimum of 0, and reported to each subject an indicator of the empathic level.

After screening, the researchers found that the single nucleotide polymorphism of the protein-coding gene TMEM132C is a genetic marker that explains differences in empathy regardless of gender. The study also showed that there were no significant differences in genetic variation between male and female empathy scale scores, although the scores in the female part of the subjects were slightly higher than in the male. Scientists believe that in this case genes do not play a major role, and the results are due to phenotypic origin - the influence of the environment on the differences in the ability to understand other people's emotions between the sexes.

The researchers then tested the correlation between differences in empathy scores and genetic markers for psychiatric abnormalities and traits. It turned out that the predisposition to the development of diseases such as schizophrenia or anorexia is positively correlated with the variability of empathic abilities and negatively with autism.

So, in the new work, scientists were the first to find a genetic marker of the ability to empathy, and also found a connection between empathy and a genetic predisposition to mental illness. Based on the results of the experiment, the authors conclude that the identified patterns can help in analyzing the relationship between the ability to empathize with others and the human psyche, as well as in making a diagnosis.

Who among us has not adopted the feelings of a loved one during a heart-to-heart conversation. The ability to adapt to the mood and emotional state of the interlocutor is an important feature of personality socialization. This sensory expression is called empathy.

Definition

Empathy is a conscious empathy with the emotional state of a person while maintaining an understanding of the external origin of the source of feeling. In simple words, the phenomenon under consideration can be explained as the ability to understand and feel other people's emotions, to enter the position of another.

The term is of Greek origin. The meaning of the word empathy from it can be translated as "in suffering, feelings, passions." The term was introduced into modern scientific circulation by the experimental psychologist E.B. Titchener at the end of the 19th century.

Sigmund Freud at the beginning of the 20th century characterized empathy as a process of assessing the patient's mental state, projecting this state onto oneself, an attempt to understand these emotions and feelings through comparison with their feelings. Its main feature is the lack of involvement in any emotion, as happens with compassion.

Main types and levels

Types of empathy in psychology:

Emotional. This type is based on mechanical projection and imitation of the motor and affective reactions of the interlocutor. Mechanical projection is a psychological defense mechanism in which inner feelings are perceived as coming from outside. It manifests itself in the form of attributing to the interlocutor his feelings and emotions with the conviction that this feeling comes from an external influence, and not from within. Motor reactions are understood as small motor operations accompanying action and communication. Affective reaction is a violent emotional action, a sharp change in state.
Cognitive. This controlled empathy is based on intellectual processes: comparison, analogy, opposition.
Predicative. Empathy, which is the ability to predict the affective reactions of the interlocutor.

Several special forms of empathic behavior stand out:

empathy - identification of the emotional feelings of the interlocutor;
sympathy (compassion) is a form of expressing a state in response to the experiences of another person.

Psychological levels of empathy:

High (third). Increased empathy is manifested in the fact that a person deeply empathizes with the state of others. Often this inclusion is on the verge of losing control. It is quite rare.
Medium (second). The level at which a person has the ability to manage empathy, but puts his own feelings first. Average empathy is typical for most modern people. Others' feelings and emotions do not matter to their lives. The main thing is the process of action, not the emotional implication of these actions.
Low (first). The level is characterized by indifference, indifference to the state of other people. Such people usually have problems with socialization, they are unsociable, lead a hermitic lifestyle, they have no friends and relatives.

Separately, it is worth mentioning a group of people who use guided empathy for professional purposes (doctors, teachers, actors, writers, employees of special government services, etc.). Such people strive to develop controlled empathy in order to achieve professional goals.

Empathy, sympathy and reflection

For a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of controlled empathy, it is necessary to define the processes closely related to it.

Compassion is a constituent element of empathy, which manifests itself in the expression of their attitude to the suffering of another person.

Identification is a conscious psychological and emotional behavior that manifests itself in complete identification of oneself with the state of another person, a group of people. It is often a psychological defense mechanism in adverse conditions.

Reflection is awareness of oneself, one's consciousness. It manifests itself in values, motives, interests, worldview, behavioral patterns, thinking, emotional response. All these personality structures are formed due to the awareness of actions, their rethinking and structuring.

In simple words, reflection is not just a person's knowledge of something, but knowledge about this knowledge. Such a definition of the phenomenon was given by the famous philosopher and theologian P.T. de Chardin. In the context of the problem under consideration, reflection differs from empathy in that a person completely dissolves in the problem, the experiences of the interlocutor, leaving no room for his own I. With empathy, a clear distinction between controlled empathy and his own feelings remains.

Manifestations in life

The phenomenon under consideration plays an essential role in the life of every person. It manifests itself in various fields of activity.

Medical Assessment

In medicine, empathy is understood as the meaning of the psychological term "empathic listening". The latter term means understanding the emotional state of the interlocutor and demonstrating this understanding. Often manifests itself when the patient is questioned by the doctor. The doctor, using the empathic mechanism, understands the patient's condition, and the latter sees this in the behavior and emotions of the doctor.

In medicine, empathy helps to obtain the most objective information about the feelings and thoughts of the patient. Feeling understanding, people open up, express feelings more vividly, talk about the state in detail and sincerely.

The capacity for empathy is inherent in all healthy people to varying degrees..

Psychological assessment

What is empathy in psychology: the normal emotional state of a person in appropriate situations. There are several methods for determining its level. Procedures have been created to capture individual manifestations of this ability.

When characterizing the psychological aspects of empathy, it is noted that the understanding of the external origin of the state is preserved, that is, the empathic person is clearly aware that his partner's feelings are reflected on him. If this does not happen, the state is referred to as identification with the interlocutor.

An empathic person clearly distinguishes between his inner, personal feelings and sensations that arise in response to the emotions of the interlocutor. This perception allows you to actively use empathy for a greater disclosure of the experience, the internal state of the patient.

Pedagogical Assessment

Empathy is a key aspect of socialization, therefore, pedagogy pays great attention to its development. The key problem of the modern educational process is the lack of established, trusting, respectful relations between teachers and students. And the responsibility falls on an adult - a teacher. Teachers do not know how to take the position of their students in order to sort out problems. Lack of understanding affects all levels: intellectual, emotional and social.

School is not only a tool for transferring primary knowledge to young people, but also an institution for the formation of a personality, which must adapt to a full life in society. This cannot be achieved without empathy, so the teacher should use his example to develop conscious empathy in children.

Scientific evaluation

From the point of view of physiology, empathy is perceived as the ability to reflect the action and state of other beings through the activation of special mirror neurons. It is known that areas of the amygdala and cerebral cortex are responsible for the feeling of empathy. People with damage to these areas are incapable of controlled empathy, do not capture the emotions and feelings of other people in the process of communication.

Empathy and art

The importance of empathy in art is difficult to overestimate. Empathy is important everywhere: in music, painting, writing, theater and cinematography. For those who create and create, controlled empathy allows them to create masterpieces. The composer captures the moods of the surrounding world, people and creates a corresponding piece of music. The writer plunges into the world of the heroes of his works in order to convey the mood in the story. Theater and film actors understand the inner state of their character.

Empathy for the viewer is equally important. Empathy allows you to isolate the mood of the music from a set of sounds. An empathic person feels the feelings of the heroes of stories, productions and films. Such people are able to empathize, but they understand the staging of the action taking place.

Characteristic

Empathy is common to all healthy people, so it is neutral in nature. But the depth of manifestation of states of controlled empathy can be positive or negative. It all depends on the situation.

Empathy is shown through various signals:

actions;
speech;
facial expressions;
gestures.

pros

Empathy is essential for full socialization. A sense of controlled empathy is formed in childhood, when a child sees involvement in his condition as an adult, parent or other loved one. This behavior is adopted. Empathic states make it easier to find a common language, to feel involved in the life of the family, community, others, country, nation.

Empathy is essential in the profession. The ability to adapt to the state of the interlocutor is important when conducting negotiations, carrying out professional sales, establishing connections and contacts.

Minuses

A high level of empathy often has a negative impact on the bearer of this feeling. So, it is noted that acute empathy increases the likelihood of developing depressive processes, stress, mental disorders and phobias.

A low level of empathy significantly complicates life in the social sphere. People who have an underestimated level of it, more often than others, face problems in communication, building close relationships.

Definition of an empath

Who is an empath: He has a developed capacity for conscious empathy, usually referred to as an empath. You can often hear the word empant in conversations. This pronunciation is incorrect, the correct concept sounds differently.

The main signs

Empathic abilities are closely related to the level of a person's development. The higher the spiritual-intellectual level, the higher the ability to express controlled compassion.

Traits of an empath:

intuitive understanding of the feelings and sensations of another;
the ability to sincerely empathize;
the ability to easily stand in the place of another;
the ability to abstract, to look at the situation from the outside;
the ability to understand and accept someone else's point of view without evidence, argumentation and disputes.

Personal testing

In psychology, there are several special questionnaires for determining empathy. One of the most elaborated is the test compiled by the clinical psychologist S. Baron-Cohen.

There is another simple and popular way to help assess the level of empathy - the emotional response scale. The technique was developed by a psychologist from the USA A. Mehrabyan:

it consists of twenty-five questions;
each test item assumes a choice of 1 out of 4 answers;
each of the four options is assigned a certain number of points;
on the basis of the sum, the person's abilities for controlled empathy are determined.

Another test was developed by the domestic teacher V.V. Boyko. It allows you to assess the level of personal empathy. Boyko's test, in contrast to the scale of emotional response, is simpler, but it is superficial, that is, the accuracy and reliability of its results is lower. The methodology contains thirty-six questions to which you need to answer "yes" or "no". Boyko's test is aimed at determining the predisposition to emotional empathy.

Empathy management

Empathy is an important sensory aspect of everyday life. His development and ability to control allows you to qualitatively change life for the better, the ability to understand another person is the main step towards building healthy, positive relationships. Controlling the state of another person makes it possible to catch conflict situations and avoid them.

How to develop empathy? There are various systems, techniques and exercises for this.

Empathy exercises:

Concentration not on your own conclusions, but on the meaning of the phrases and words of the interlocutor in the dialogue. The ability to listen and hear will allow you to better understand people when communicating.
Concentration of attention on people around, colleagues, acquaintances, relatives. How do they live, what are their interests, problems, successes.
Conversations with strangers in transport, on the street. Communicating with people outside your circle will help you better understand the lives of others.
Replaying the interlocutor's situation on oneself, building a line of behavior, working out emotional manifestations.
Analysis of their feelings and experiences in various situations, their memorization. The development of emotional memory will allow you to quickly project the situation onto another and better understand him.

Empathy doesn't always play a positive role in life. Many people seek to reduce their empathy for others. To do this, you need to focus on yourself, constantly occupy yourself with hobbies, new hobbies. Constant concentration will not leave time for the manifestation of specific states. As you develop empathy, remember that high levels of empathy have negative consequences.

One of the main purposes of a person in life is to be happy, and complete happiness is impossible without compassion. What is empathy, do you have it, and if not, can you get it?

Empathy. What it is

A person's ability to experience emotional feelings similar to those of the interlocutor is called empathy.

Empathy is an unconscious understanding of the needs and feelings of the people around you.

The first to use this concept was the American Edward Titchner.

Types and levels

In psychology, many tests have been developed that determine the level of empathy and the diagnosis of its type.

Levels

Elevated the level is characterized by pronounced empathy. A person is not able to separate his problems and feelings from the problems of loved ones, and sometimes completely strangers. Psychologists in this case talk about the affective level of empathy. Signs of affective-type empaths: too strong mental vulnerability, impressionability, unreasonable sense of guilt.

Normal the level is inherent in the majority of the population. They try to keep their emotions under control and do not show them in front of strangers.
Short the level is characterized by an inability to empathize and accept other points of view. The anti-empath considers the actions of people based on emotions to be meaningless. As a result, there are serious difficulties in contact with others.

Views

In connection with the development of the level of empathy, it is customary to divide people into four types:

The psychology of empathic communication

Sensuality and age

But the conditions of upbringing also play a role in the formation of abilities, they either dull or favor the development of empathy.

Development factors

There are a number of factors that help develop the ability to empathize in a person:

How it helps in life

People with a high level of empathy are friendly and sociable, they do not blame others for adverse events, do not require strong punishments for misconduct. Such people achieve much more success in life than those who constantly blame others and tend to see "a speck in the eye." People with low levels of empathy are unfriendly, withdrawn, and more aggressive.
Showing empathy in communication is beneficial for mutual understanding. This creates a favorable relationship for dialogue, joint solutions in any situation, even in a conflict situation.
Empathy will help not only in real life, but also in art: an actor to get used to a role, a director or a writer - to convey his thought to the viewer or reader, and to the viewer or reader - to understand the work of art and the author's thought, thereby enriching his spiritual essence and life an experience.

Elevated level

To be such a person is amazing, because you can understand another as yourself. But this is also a huge responsibility for your own health. You need to learn to control this feeling.

Here are a few rules to help you avoid wasting life energy:

Each person has their own life choices. If a person does not want to save himself, then the empath does not need to think about it.
An empath doesn't have to be an emotional healer. He should accept the feelings of the other person as they are, and not try to constantly interfere, especially if the "sick person" does not ask him about it.
To calm down and establish spiritual harmony, it is useful to meditate.
Don't try to be friends with everyone. If a person causes negative emotions or a depressive state, you just need to distance yourself from this person.

An empath must necessarily love himself for who he is, and not take on "the blame for the whole world."

Development exercises

learn to understand yourself- this is the first step for an adequate perception of others;
learn to manage not only by their actions, but also by their own thoughts and feelings;
learn to understand feelings and then the thoughts of other people.

For this, psychologists recommend special exercises in the group, where all participants copy facial expressions, gestures and the voice of the interlocutor. Here are some examples of these exercises.

Exercise 1: Guess the feeling

Participants are given tasks in which the names of different feelings are indicated. Everyone should mimic the indicated feeling. Everyone else is trying to guess.

Exercise 2. Mirror and Monkey

Participants are divided into pairs, in which one will be a mirror and the other a monkey. "Monkey" mimics and pantomime depicts whatever it wants, and the "mirror" must copy all the gestures.

After 5 minutes, "monkey" and "mirror" change roles, then the observers evaluate who was the best in this game.

Exercise 3. Telephone

Empathy not only forms a decent, pleasant in communication individual and a humane society, but also affects the very specific achievements of a person in his social and personal life.

Video: Empathy and Sympathy

16Mar

What is Empathy

Empathy is the ability of one person to focus on the emotional state of another, and share or feel his experiences as if they were their own.

What is EMPATHY - definition in simple words. Meaning of the word.

In simple words, Empathy is a person's ability to understand what state or situation another person is in. We can also say that empathy is the ability to put oneself in the shoes of another person, so to speak, “to be in his shoes,” and truly, to be imbued with his problems and experiences.

Speaking of empathy, first of all, it should be noted that it is a rather complex, but very important ability. Especially they ate to take into account the fact that a person is a highly social being. Empathy is at the heart of any healthy relationship. Thanks to this ability, a person has the opportunity to understand how various external factors affect the emotional state of people. In turn, this helps to make the right decisions and take optimal actions in relation to loved ones. And this is what makes a person a good friend, colleague, husband or wife, etc.

If we approach this ability from a purely practical side, then we can list several aspects that it has a beneficial effect on:

Empathy expands the perception of the world;
Increases the level of satisfaction and intimacy from love relationships;
Strengthens relationships with loved ones;
Reduces the level of aggression towards people;
Promotes the peaceful resolution of conflicts;
Helps to fight such prejudices as:, and so on;
Promotes the emergence of heroic deeds and the development of altruism;
Balances social inequality between different classes of society;
Promotes a healthy work environment;
Empathy in the medical field improves emotional health among patients.

It should be noted that in addition to the positive aspects, a high level of empathic response can negatively affect a person as an empath. The fact is that too high sensitivity makes him very vulnerable in an emotional state. Such a person is easy enough to offend, and he is not a strong competitor in an aggressive survival environment.

Empathy Level.

From the point of view of modern psychology, almost all people have the ability to empathy, to a greater or lesser extent. Conventionally, this degree of emotional sympathy can be divided into 5 levels:

Low level of empathy... In this case, the person has practically no ability to empathize with other people.
Moderately low empathy. A person is able to pay attention to other people's problems, but not delve into them.
Average or normal level of empathy. A person is able to enter the position of another, think rationally and draw appropriate conclusions.
Moderately conditional level of empathy. A person is able not only to delve into the problem of another, but also to understand what feelings underlie his experiences.
High level of empathy. A person is able to almost exactly reflect the emotional state of another person.

Development of Empathy.

There are many different practices for developing empathic abilities in oneself, but we will give a few effective tips that will allow you to slightly raise this skill.

Council number 1 When talking with another person, try to focus your attention on the other person, on his behavior, mood and his expressions. Pay close attention to body language and make eye contact. Listen to it very carefully and delve into every word, without being wasted on preparing the answer.

Council number 2 Let the other person be really heard.

Council number 3 Physically, reflect the other person in your own body language. In fact, this is quite simple, since we constantly do it unconsciously in relation to those people who we like.