Empathetic, Sympathetic, Compassionate.

[Universe]

I'm very interested in knowing what you guys identify with the most. Perhaps you have a mix? Maybe you lack in one area or feel nothing at all?

Feel free to give examples too.

 

[Crystal Berry]

I'm capable of all three. If someone feels the same pain I do then I can easily feel empathy towards them. If it's something else I think I can still feel empathy, but I'd feel for sympathy than empathy because if it's something I haven't experienced then how can I feel the same emotions they're feeling? As for compassion; I can be compassionate to pretty much anyone who I don't hate, and I try to help those in need even if I don't know them.

 

[Bounsweet]

I'm not empathetic at all, tbh, although I am a very sympathetic and sometimes compassionate person, which I've been commented on.

 

[PageEmp]

>Being kind
>lolnope.

Why would I be anyway?


































Ok sorry.

 

[Early]

It admittedly depends on the person, and sometimes their situation as a whole. I love helping people, but I can be a really apathetic person in general a lot of the time due to bad experiences with past peers. I don't mean to be, though, and if someone who isn't a total stranger to me is having a hard time, I'll definitely step in and offer them some form of help if I can. Sympathy and compassion are both things I can offer at best, but that can change if the person in question is going through something I can relate to; my empathy tends to pop up with abuse victims and social outcasts, for example.

 

[Evening]

I'm barely capable of any of them.

 

[pkmin3033]

By those definitions, the closest I can come to any of these is compassion.

I will listen and try to offer something useful if I think it will help, but I can't say I particularly care either way what someone decides to do or tells me. It doesn't cost me anything to listen and/or provide words that could help them resolve (or at least feel better, or even just provide a different perspective of) their situation, so if I can, I will. If that's compassion, then OK; good for me. But I don't ascribe that element of personal interest to it. I don't push people for information under the pretense of caring, because I don't. If people WANT to tell me something, I listen. If they WANT my help, I'll give it if I can. That's as far as it goes. It's their thought and their feelings, and what they choose to do about them, if anything, is their affair. If talking to me or asking me for advice is a part of that, then I'll help. I suppose it's compassion of a different kind, because I could just as easily turn them away, but it's not really personal to me; it's just another conversation. I'm not thinking their thoughts, or feeling their feelings. How could it be personal to me? All I know is what they're telling me. It's not MY problem. Involving me doesn't make it my problem either.

I can't say I'm particularly sympathetic to others, because I hate it when others are sympathetic to me. Sympathy is a waste of time. So you're miserable because I'm miserable. How does that help me feel better? Should I feel better because you're suffering on my behalf? How does this resolve things in any way? I can't just pass my problems on like that, can I? It's a twisted form of emotional martyrdom that is completely unnecessary and absolutely useless. It serves no purpose other than to make someone else feel better about your problems. I loathe it. It's one of the many reasons that I won't tell people when something is bothering me - it's quite enough that I'm bothered, thank you, I don't need sympathy.

As for empathy...well, I just find it extremely arrogant to assume you know what another person is feeling because you may have had a similar experience, so its not something I tend to show. I might, privately, think I have an idea, because I'm arrogant enough to assume these things in the space of my own mind, but I'm not going to presume I do out loud unless I'm told by the other person that I definitely know where they're coming from, and even then I'm going to take that with a pinch of salt. Suffering is not comparable.

To me, all three of these things are very selfish practices, by the definitions listed above. They aren't for the benefit of the other person, they're for YOU, and they're YOUR reaction to someone else's feelings. In trying to consider someone else's feelings, you are in fact disregarding them entirely in the face of what you want to do to resolve them, regardless of what the other person might think or feel regarding your interference. If you're willing to involve yourself in others lives emotionally in this fashion, I've always thought it better to see what someone else wants of you - if indeed they want anything at all - before you react. After all, it's none of your business unless they choose to involve you. That's just my personal opinion, though.

...yeah, I know. It's no wonder I don't have any friends, right? Haha.

 

[xVaporeonx]

I am too empathetic. If I see someone crying it is hard to be around them because I want to start crying. I cry a lot with movies, it kinda sucks to be this sensitive.

 

[Nolafus]

I'm... actually not very capable of any of them.

I'm not very good when it comes to other people's emotions. My normal reaction to someone telling me about this horrible thing that happened to them is a sense of panic as I know I'm not the person to talk with about these sorts of things. I have tried several times in the past, and no matter what I do, I always seem to make the other person angry and wish they never started to tell me. I'm always up for chatting, but please don't expect me to be a very good shoulder to cry on. I'll try my best, but there's your warning.

 

[天 (Caine)]

I'm capable of all three, for better or for worse. I have a very strong urge to help others, at times sacrificing what's best for me to help those in need. I've stayed up all night for friend of mine who was on the verge of suicide. I feel that all three of these things, compassion, sorrow, and empathy are extremely important to have in this society. Without these, life would be extremely violent and all will be lost. These things are what keeps society together and allows us to move forward as a species.

 

[Hydro Pumper]

I like this topic. As for me definitely empathy, as I tend to become an emotional sponge in both positive and negative situations. I'm sensitive to the moods of others, often pick these up and mirror them without much effort. For instance if someone close to me is upset I'll often feel as though I am experiencing the same problem as well, though I can become the one with the loudest belly laugh at a party when my friends and I are having a really good time together.

I often find meditation and herbal teas help keep me grounded and maintain my objectivity in a challenging or professional situation. :) And over time I have learnt to accept that I am a sensitive person, its who I am, so I now understand how to make the most of it (ie, in my career) while at the same time keeping it in check so it doesn't hinder me. I like to think that this has helped me develop an ability to be compassionate. This is particularly helpful at work where I supervise a team and need to help manage a positive workplace culture, so I can identify problems before they snowball or be seen as an approachable leader.

 

[Super Prism]

I'm more empathetic than anything else, I think. It's not just when someone is in distress either, I just kind of absorb emotions from people. That usually leads to sympathy and compassion, if I care about the person.

I just realised how vampiric my emotions are... O.o

 

[Aether★]

I'm more for sympathy.

 

[starseed galaxy auticorn]

I'd have to say empathetic. I get really anxious when someone is upset or sad or whatever. It's almost as if I can feel it. The thing is too that most people think autistic people can't be empathetic because they don't show it. Well, this is actually a myth because while we may not show it, we do feel it more than anything. We just can't express those feelings properly since the wiring in our brains is off or whatever.

Anyway, yeah... I consider myself to be more empathetic than anything. Like I said, when someone is in some sort of distress... I can sense it. It's usually to the point where I end up getting really bad anxiety over how they feel because it's overwhelming. I also think there's a little sympathy there as well. But again, it's something I have a hard time being able to express like said above. People often feel like they can come to me with anything, and it'll be at a point where I'm not sure how to deal with it. I try to, but I end up failing a lot it seems. :c

 

[Juno]

I'm... actually not very capable of any of them.

I'm not very good when it comes to other people's emotions. My normal reaction to someone telling me about this horrible thing that happened to them is a sense of panic as I know I'm not the person to talk with about these sorts of things. I have tried several times in the past, and no matter what I do, I always seem to make the other person angry and wish they never started to tell me. I'm always up for chatting, but please don't expect me to be a very good shoulder to cry on. I'll try my best, but there's your warning.

Pretty similar to this. It usually depends on who it is, but unless I feel like we are very close I usually just feel kind of uncomfortable to be confided in and I don't really know what to say or offer when someone is in distress. That's not to say I won't feel a certain level of sympathy if something terrible has happened to you, I just don't know how to help.

I think I'm also bad at perceiving how 'close' someone is to me, because a lot of people I consider acquaintances seem to like telling me their problems and sometimes I just feel a sense of "where is all this coming from, why are you choosing to tell me all this" because I truly am awful at consolation. Still, I know some people just want someone to listen to them sometimes, and I can do that, I just probably won't be able to offer you anything or make you feel better.

Empathy is not something I feel very often unless we are going through the same situation (eg. grieving the same person), and I mainly feel compassion for people I really love and care about.

tl;dr I can mostly sympathize, I likely can't help

 

[Bellsprout]

sympathy if i don't feel comfortable with you, compassion if i do

 

[Wicked3DS]

I'm capable of feeling all three of these, but it always depends on the situation and how close I am with the person. In any case, I try to do my best to care about people in any way I can.

 

[Taemin]

I have all three to extent where sometimes I have to stop and tell myself to detach a little and think more rationally, or I just worry about and wanna help everyone, all the time. I can't not help someone if it's at all within my power to do something for them. At work sometimes I have to tell myself to mind my own job, and not step out of line to help with every single thing. lmfao Empathy is great for my acting and voice acting, though, haha.

I think empathy and compassion are my strongest because I don't feel sorrow so much as, more just.. trying to understand how they feel, and seeing things from their point of view, and then trying to help them through it however I can, and staying gentle and such. I know that my feeling "sorrow", while I could, would not help me and help them.

 

[Margaery Tyrell]

I'm capable of all 3, but I tend to feel sympathy and compassion most of the time - I'm an extremely caring person, and so I'm a really good person to confide in. I've become adept at offering and creating solutions and acting as guides for people when they encounter problems they aren't certain about handling or solving themselves. I dunno, I'm just a really genuinely nice person as incredibly sappy and trashy as that sounds.

 

[Cariad]

Easily compassion. I am literally unable to feel empathetic, it's not in my brain, I just don't understand it. Although I'm a little sympathetic, I'm definitely the most compassionate.