empathy
ability to understand others' feelings
The ability to feel and understand what another person is feeling, as if you were in their place.
empathy for [someone/something]
- Good leaders show empathy when they listen to their team’s worries.
- Her deep empathy for animals led her to become a veterinarian.
- Talking about his own past helped him feel more empathy for his teenage son.
- The book helped me develop empathy for people living in very different conditions.
- A lack of empathy can damage close relationships.
- She has a lot of empathy for her friends.
- It is important to show empathy when someone is sad.
- His empathy helped his coworker feel better.
- Reading stories can build empathy for other people.
- He spoke with empathy about families who lost their homes.
psychological capacity for perspective-taking
In psychology, the mental skill to correctly understand what another person thinks and feels, and to react in a helpful way.
empathy toward [patients/clients/others]
- Therapists are trained to use empathy to create a safe space for their clients.
- The study found a correlation between cognitive empathy and conflict-resolution skills.
- Medical schools now include courses on empathy to improve doctor–patient communication.
- Children on the spectrum may show differences in certain types of empathy.
- The questionnaire was designed to measure levels of emotional empathy in adults.
- The doctor used empathy to understand the patient’s fear.
- In training, nurses practice empathy with other students.
- Good counselors need strong empathy skills.
- Researchers study empathy in children and adults.
- Teachers can use empathy to help students feel safe.
projection of feelings into objects
In art theory, the idea of putting your own feelings into an object or picture in your mind, as if it had your emotions.
- The philosopher describes aesthetic empathy as a projection of the viewer’s feelings into the artwork.
- In early theories of art, empathy was used to explain why we feel movement and life in static sculptures.
- Her analysis of landscape painting focuses on the role of empathy between the observer and the scene.
- Some art books talk about empathy with a painting.
- Old art theory used the word empathy in a special way.
- In this theory, empathy means putting your own feelings into an object.
- Base: empathy
- Plural: empathy
cognitive empathy
1thinking-based understanding of emotions
The mental skill to know what someone else feels or thinks, even if you do not feel the same emotion yourself.
- Cognitive empathy helps negotiators predict the other side’s reactions.
- The study found that cognitive empathy and emotional empathy are related but distinct abilities.
- Teachers can use cognitive empathy to see a situation from a child’s point of view.
emotional empathy
1sharing others' emotions directly
The ability to feel the same kind of emotion that another person feels, almost as if their feelings were your own.
- High emotional empathy can make some people feel overwhelmed in crowded places.
- Therapists must balance emotional empathy with professional boundaries.
- The film was designed to trigger emotional empathy for its characters.
empathy fatigue
1feeling worn out from caring
A feeling of being too tired or emotionally empty to care about other people’s problems, often after seeing a lot of suffering.
- Frontline workers reported empathy fatigue after months of crisis care.
- Constant exposure to bad news can lead to empathy fatigue.
- Organizations are trying to prevent empathy fatigue among volunteers.
empathy for others
1empathy directed at other people
Empathy that you feel for people in general, not only for one specific person.
- Stories can help children build empathy for others.
- Her work is driven by deep empathy for others.
- We try to teach empathy for others in our school program.
empathy gap
1difficulty imagining others' feelings
A situation where someone cannot really imagine how another person feels, often because they feel very different themselves.
- The empathy gap makes it hard for healthy people to understand life with chronic pain.
- Policy makers often have an empathy gap with the people their decisions affect most.
- The study explores the empathy gap between those who have experienced poverty and those who have not.
empathy machine
1tool or medium that creates empathy
A creative way to describe something, like film or virtual reality, that makes people strongly feel what others feel.
- Some critics call cinema the greatest empathy machine ever invented.
- Virtual reality is promoted as a new empathy machine for social issues.
- The director sees her art as an empathy machine for marginalized voices.
empathy map
1diagram to understand users' feelings
A picture or chart that helps teams understand what a customer or user thinks, feels, says, and does.
- The design team created an empathy map before building the new app.
- We used an empathy map to understand our key customer segments.
- An empathy map can reveal hidden user frustrations.
empathy training
1programs to build empathy skills
Courses or activities that try to help people become better at understanding and sharing others’ feelings.
- The hospital introduced empathy training for all new nurses.
- Many companies now offer empathy training for their managers.
- Empathy training can improve communication in diverse teams.
have empathy for
1to feel empathy toward someone
To be able to understand and share the feelings of a person or group.
- Teachers need to have empathy for students under stress.
- She has a lot of empathy for people who grew up in poverty.
- It’s hard to have empathy for him when he never listens to anyone else.
lack of empathy
1not having enough empathy
A situation where a person does not understand or care about other people's feelings.
- His comments showed a complete lack of empathy for the victims.
- Many people criticize the policy for its lack of empathy toward refugees.
- A lack of empathy can make teamwork very difficult.
show empathy
1to demonstrate empathy in behavior
To act in a way that makes someone feel that you understand and care about their feelings.
- Managers should show empathy when giving difficult feedback.
- He showed real empathy when he listened without judging.
- The nurse showed empathy by taking extra time to explain the procedure.