Suffering Flashcards
What is suffering?
experiencing pain, hardship or distress
What is theology of suffering?
the study of what the Bible says about suffering while considering who God is and the current state of humanity
What is empathy?
Putting yourself in another’s position and feeling what they are feeling (emotionally understanding what they feel)
Signs of empathy
good listener
people ask for your advice
know when others are lying
helps those suffering
think about others’ emotions
What are the 3 types of empathy
affective, cognitive and somatic
Define affective empathy
the ability to understand someone’s emotions and respond appropriately
Define somatic empathy
this involves having a physical reaction in response to what someone else is experiencing
Define cognitive empathy
this involves the ability to understand another’s mental state and what they might be thinking in response to a situation
List potential pitfalls of empathy
feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or overestimulated
empathy fatigue
What is sympathy?
this is feeling bad for someone else because of a situation they’ve experienced
Name 2 elements necessary for you to feel sympathy
must be paying attention to the other person
the other person must seem in need
What is compassion?
this involves feeling another’s pain and wanting to take steps to relieve it
Signs of compassion
feeling as if you have a great deal in common with other people even if you are different
ability to understand another’s situation and feel their pain
taking action when another suffers
feeling gratitude when others are compassionate towards you
How can you practice compassion?
speak with kindness
apologize
patience
show respect
accept people for who they are
Differentiate between empathy and compassion.
Compassion is similar to empathy but takes it a step further by driving you to take action to help another person
Potential pitfall of compassion
compassion fatigue
Compassion vs Empathy vs Sympathy
Empathy means you can feel what another is feeling, sympathy means you can understand what another is feeling and compassion means you feel empathy and or sympathy and are willing to help relieve the person’s suffering.
Compassion in Latin
com- with
passus- to suffer
Empathy in Greek
en- in
pathos- suffering
Sympathy in Greek
syn- with
pathos- suffering
Why does God allow us to suffer?
God allows suffering so we can see how cruel the world is and yearn for a better world without sin
