Sympathy and empathy both involve caring about someone else's pain, but one is feeling for them and the other is feeling with them.
Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone, caring about their situation from the outside.
sympathy full definition →
Empathy is imagining and sharing what someone else is feeling, as if you were experiencing it yourself.
empathy full definition →
| sympathy | empathy | |
|---|---|---|
| Position | Feeling FOR someone, from outside | Feeling WITH someone, as if inside |
| Requires shared experience? | Not necessarily | Often helps, but not required |
| Simple test | "I feel sorry for you" is sympathy | "I understand exactly how you feel" is empathy |
Sympathy is caring from the outside. Empathy is understanding from the inside, as if you were in their shoes.
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