Empathy, Sympathy & Pity

Question 1

what are the 4 components to empathy?

Answer 1

• affective sharing
• self/other awareness
• emotion regulation
• perspective talking

Question 2

what is affective sharing?

Answer 2

the ability to share the feelings of others, without any direct emotional stimulation to oneself
(unconcious decision)

Question 3

what is self/other awareness?

Answer 3

can set proper clear boundaries and can differentiate between their feelings and emotions and the clients

Question 4

what is emotion regulation?

Answer 4

understanding one’s own emotions is a necessary precondition to the ability to control one’s emotional expression
*** parallel emotion = feeling the emotion of the other (negative emotion = reactive to the others emotions & situations)

Question 5

what is perspective talking?

Answer 5

understanding the problem from their POV, adapting to the subjective perspective of the other

Question 6

what is empathy to the client?

Answer 6

Client experiences “feeling felt” by another person. Someone shares or understands their internal world—this is very validating

Question 7

what allows the counselor to avoid stress in empathetic situations?

Answer 7

Emotion regulation, self-awareness, and perspective taking
* Hence, there should be no immediate impulse to take action.

Question 8

what kind of reaction is empathy?

Answer 8

“Teach them how to fish” reaction (e.g., empowering actions such as providing information and options and facilitating insights).

Question 9

empathy = __________
sympathy = _________

Answer 9

empathy = client can solve problem
sympathy = practitioner solves problem

Question 10

what is sympathy?

Answer 10

reaction to or heightened awareness of the client’s distress or predicament

Question 11

what happens during sympathy?

Answer 11

There may be an urge, based on one’s own and the client’s anxiety, to do whatever is necessary to alleviate the client’s distress. This can lead to enabling actions or “give them a fish reaction.”

Question 12

feelings associated w empathy?

Answer 12

Empowerment, self-efficacy, competence, optimism, resiliency

Question 13

feelings associated w sympathy?

Answer 13

Gratitude, comfort, eventually could lead to dependency or entitlement.

Question 14

what is pity?

Answer 14

A condescending, or contemptuous form of feeling sorry for someone, often directed at people who are perceived as pathetic or having brought about their own misery