I feel you... or I feel for you?
By raychill
@raychill (6525)
United States
December 7, 2007 9:29am CST
When someone tells a sad sad story. I listen. I can relate. But I don't feel for them. I'm not very sympathetic. I'm just simply empathetic.
Sympathy is basically the feeling sensitive for the other persons situation or story. Feeling sorry for can also be an act of sympathy.
Whereas Empathy is the action of understanding and vicariously experiencing the experience of someone else.
I've realized that I can totally empathize with people, but I'm like "So what... move on...do something about it!" because of the fact that I empathize and I know that's what I would do. So I have no sympathy.
What about you?
Are you more:
Sympathetic
or
Empathetic
I'd like to point out that I do normally have sympathy for animals though... just not people.
3 people like this
5 responses
@Flight84 (3048)
• United States
15 Dec 07
I can be the same way. Sometimes I wonder if I'm bad for not feeling bad enough, ya know? I'm not very sympathetic either. I've been through my fair share of bad experiences and I never expected people to feel sorry for me. I mean, I feel bad for people sometimes, but not like other people. I know some girls that will literally start crying over 'sad' stories. I'm not like that. I just think you have to learn to roll with the punches. You do have to get over it and move on like you said. Ha ha. I have more sympathy for animals too.
1 person likes this
@raychill (6525)
• United States
15 Dec 07
You know what makes me cry. Those commercials about animals who are in need. cause I hate when people don't take care of animals. that makes me cry. but people? nah. I'm tough.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who isn't very sympathetic. Sometimes i wonder if that's as bad of a thing as it seems. it just seems cruel not to care as much as I do... i mean, care as much as I don't! ha ha
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
7 Dec 07
I think I have sympathy more than empathy based on the definitions given. Many times I can feel sorry about the situation but will admit I have no idea how that person actually feels because I've never experienced it. Like I can feel sympathy if someone loses a child because I'm sure that must be very difficult but I can't understand that feeling because I've never lost a chhild and can't imagine how difficult it is. I can feel empathy if I've experienced the same thing in the past but even then it probably isn't exactly the same just because everyone feels emotions differently.
1 person likes this
@raychill (6525)
• United States
7 Dec 07
See, I relate my own experiences with the experiences.
like even if I didn't lose a child I could understand how it feels because I have lost someone close to me and losing someone, no matter who it is, sucks.
But i just don't really feel sympathy for it because I don't know, it's happened to me, you move on and you just keep that memory, that piece of your heart...in tact.
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
7 Jan 08
I'm more Empathetic And it's sometimes a burden. Mostly because it makes me easier to forgive...and hard to explain why I do.
I thought for a long time I was just really a sympathetic person - until I learned a bit more about empathy.
I like it sometimes...but other times GRR!
Though sometimes it makes it easier to fix other peoples problems.
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
25 Jan 08
I am like you, I can't feel sad for another person usually, even when bad stuff happens to them. I do feel bad for them logically and think "that sucks" but a lot of times if it's just a small problem I'm sitting there coming up with solutions to their problem and thinking "ok, move on".
I guess that's why I rarely shed tears at any movie, even ones that others find incredibly sad. There's only been a few movies that made me feel sad.
It's easier to sympathize for animals or little kids b/c they are helpless so you feel like stuff that happens to them is out of their control. But with adults, a lot of times, I'm more into finding solutions then feeling sad with them.
