What Is The Difference Between Empathy And Compassion

Whereas empathy is a very internal feeling compassion moves outwards.

Although empathy and compassion are similar feelings there is a distinct difference between them. Both are powerful feelings that can bring happiness and well being. On the other hand empathy refers to trying to imagine another s problem coupled with strong feeling for that person understand his problem and share the feeling. Empathy is seen as a passive emotional response.

Compassion requires you to take positive action to alleviate a person s pain or situation. Empathy is the ability to understand someone else s feelings and situation whereas compassion is a feeling of sympathy pity and concern for the misfortune and suffering of others. But compassion takes it one step further. One of the main differences in empathy vs compassion is the active component.

Compassion refers to sympathetic feeling towards another without attempting to know their feelings or even understanding the intensity of their sufferings.