What is empathy?

A definition

Empathy is the ability to identify oneself with another individual to understand its situation, reasoning, motives, and feelings.

In other words, empathy is the ability to see through the eyes of someone else.

Practically empathy is a process during which an individual mobilizes all her/his resources (senses, emotional and intellectual intelligence, experience, sensitivity, imagination and intuition) to project her/himself in the situation of an "other" to develop its awareness and understanding.

This process is described more precisely in the article "the empathetic recipe".

There are two conceptions of empathy. The first one considers empathy as an emotional response. The second one, that we will develop in this site, considers empathy as a cognitive capacity.

Natural empathy versus developed empathy

Science has shown that human beings (as well as several species of animals) have a natural predisposition to empathy. It was even possible to measure empathetic reactions of some individuals exposed to someone else suffering, through increased cerebral activity in the region of the brain corresponding to pain. (See MRI images in pages 2 of the following article by Tania Singer “The empathic brain: how, when and why? http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/16/95/84/PDF/empathy_TICS.pdf)

However we do not all have the same natural ability to identify oneself with others and feel empathy. An article of the Times, talking about the absence of reaction of drivers passing by a six years old girl with broken legs screaming for help even states:

“Our brains are influenced by our environment and Professor Harris believes that our individualistic society may be discouraging the development of both empathy and compassion. “You have to practise them, and if you’re not in touch and interacting with people regularly, this isn’t going to happen.” (3) http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article672972.ece

The choice of empathy

While empathy is a lot about being receptive, it also requires important personal commitment and self-awareness.

Questioning one’s own beliefs, or having sometimes to mobilize painful memories to empathize with someone may be a highly disturbing and unpleasant experience, especially if it turns into sympathy (see article "empathy VS sympathy").

This is probably why empathy is not something that we naturally express to a large extent.

This is a pity because it is really worth spending time and energy to learn and practice techniques of empathy, though which it is possible to reach a highly improved understanding of people, of one’s own emotions, thoughts and motives. Empathy is an incredible potential that can be developed and mastered.

Some additional definitions of empathy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empathy