Low empathy. Empathy - what does this word mean? Special psychological exercises for the development of empathy

16Mar

What is Empathy

Empathy is the ability of one person to focus on the emotional state of another person, and to share or feel their experiences as if they were their own.

What is empathy - definition in simple words. Meaning of the word.

In simple words, empathy is the ability of a person to understand what state or situation another person is in. You can also say that empathy is the ability to put yourself in the place of another person, so to speak, “to be in his shoes”, and really, imbued with his problems and experiences.

Speaking of empathy, first of all, it should be noted that this is a rather complicated, but very important ability. They especially ate to take into account the fact that a person is a highly social being. Empathy is at the heart of any healthy relationship. Thanks to this ability, a person has the opportunity to understand how various external factors affect the emotional state of people. In turn, this helps to make the right decisions and perform optimal actions in relation to loved ones. And this is what makes a person a good friend, colleague, husband or wife, etc.

If we approach this ability purely from a practical point of view, then we can list several aspects that it has a beneficial effect on:

• Empathy expands the perception of the world;
• Increases the level of satisfaction and intimacy from love relationships;
• Strengthens relationships with loved ones;
• Reduces the level of aggression towards people;
• Promotes peaceful resolution of conflicts;
• Helps fight prejudices such as:, and so on;
• Promotes the emergence of heroic deeds and the development of altruism;
• Balances social inequality between different classes of society;
• Contributes to the creation of a healthy atmosphere in the working environment;
• Empathy in the medical field contributes to improved emotional health among patients.

It should be noted that in addition to positive aspects, a high level of empathic response can negatively affect a person as an empath. The fact is that too high sensitivity makes him very vulnerable in an emotional state. Such a person is easy enough to offend, and he is not a strong competitor in an aggressive survival environment.

Empathy level.

From the point of view of modern psychology, almost all people have the ability to empathize, to a greater or lesser extent. Conventionally, this degree of emotional sympathy can be divided into 5 levels:

1. Low level of empathy. In this case, a person has practically no ability to empathize with other people.
2. Moderately low level of empathy. A person is able to pay attention to other people's problems, but not delve into them.
3. Average or normal level of empathy. A person is able to enter into the position of another, think rationally and draw appropriate conclusions.
4. Moderately conditional level of empathy. A person is able not only to delve into the problem of another, but also to understand what feelings underlie his experiences.
5. High level of empathy. A person is able to almost exactly reflect the emotional state of another person.

Development of Empathy.

There are quite a lot of different practices for developing empathic abilities in yourself, but we will give some effective tips that will allow you to slightly improve this skill.

Tip #1 When talking with another person, try to focus your attention on the interlocutor, on his behavior, mood and his expressions. Pay special attention to body language and make eye contact. Listen to him very carefully and delve into every word without being sprayed on preparing an answer.

Tip #2 Let the interlocutor be really heard.

Tip #3 Physically, mirror the other person in your own body language. In fact, this is quite simple, since we constantly do this unconsciously in relation to those people that we like.

We are grateful to those people who, in difficult times, found the right words and were there. But, unfortunately, not all acquaintances and friends can do this. Sometimes a complete stranger expresses understanding and participation in the problem. What is the rationale for such behavior?

Empathy in psychology - the meaning of the concept

We often come across this concept. What do we think about when we hear or read such a word on the news?

Empathy in psychology is the ability to sympathize, empathize with the problems of another person. It also means the ability of the subject to perceive all the experiences and fears of another person, while understanding that they do not apply to you.

This is a necessary quality for professionals whose profession is to work with people. The meaning of this term may vary depending on the context. For example, in medicine, this word refers to the process of understanding the patient (in psychology, empathy of listening).

The doctor during the reception of the patient listens attentively to him, clearly showing that he understands what the patient is talking about. The purpose of this behavior is to show the patient that he is supported and to encourage frank dialogue, thereby allowing the doctor to most accurately determine the diagnosis.

The ability to empathize for psychologists, doctors, teachers is considered the norm. But people of other professions can also have this quality, because support is needed not only in the professional plane, but also interpersonally. The level of development of such a quality as empathy in psychology is determined by a large number of different methods.

What types of this emotional state are there?

There are several types of empathy:

1. Emotional - based on the mechanisms of psychological defense, projection and imitation. A person perceives the pain and experiences of another as his own, repeating after him all the actions, emotions and some words.
2. Cognitive - the subject compares or analyzes the situation, puts himself in the place of a suffering person.
3. Predicative empathy in psychology is the ability of one person to guess the reactions of another in certain circumstances. Having it, you can prevent a quarrel, conflict or dangerous situations.

Sympathy and empathy are special forms of empathy.

Levels of development of this state

Empathy in psychology is not just a concept, but also a state that can be developed and improved. There are 3 levels of development of this quality.

Second: it requires some skills in order to be able to "read" the gestures and facial expressions of the speaker.

Third: a person is so empathic that he can control the emotions of another. Such people can easily bring others out of a state of shock, the power of negative emotions.

How is empathy related to psychotherapy?

Carl Rogers assigns a key role to this concept. In his works, he notes that empathy is the main setting of the therapist in medical relationships and the main condition for changing the personality of the client himself.

Empathy in psychology, its definition is as follows: it is a complex process that involves the acceptance of the role and understanding of the experiences and attitudes of another person. But we must understand that this is not just the ratio and acceptance of the feelings of another person, but also a view from the outside, that is, the ability to abstract in time.

Help psychology: altruism, selfishness, empathy

In the science that studies the characteristics of the human soul, there is even a book with that title. Indeed, all three personality traits are interconnected. The concept of "empathy" in psychology is the antonym of egoism, as well as the basis for altruism.

Altruism implies gratuitous help to every person who needs it.

Selfishness is a quality of a person in which one's own interests are put in the foreground.

But there are certain situations in which altruism and empathy can be insincere, such as helping as an attempt to disguise one's selfishness. By doing altruistic deeds, we grow in our own eyes. A vivid example of this is the statements of donors: "Donation helps us to respect ourselves, increases our own importance in our eyes."

But altruism also has a downside. If we ask a girl who works as a volunteer why she does it, then it is quite logical to hear the answer: "To receive an internal reward." Thus, the girl satisfies her own personal interests. Our desire to help others may be dictated by personal needs to earn reward or avoid punishment - these are signs of selfishness.

After conducting many studies on the topic of altruism, the researchers came to the conclusion that in some cases people are able to act based not on personal interests, but on the basis of a desire to help another person without demanding anything in return. There is also an opinion that empathy-driven altruism is part of human nature. Therefore, to the question: "Empathy in psychology - what is it?" - we can safely say that this is a personality trait that helps a person become noble, wise and altruistic.

How does empathy work in life? Examples

Examples of empathy in psychology, in everyday life are common. This quality is especially manifested between close people, as well as in relationships with children.

We all remember the phrase from childhood: "Put yourself in the place of this or that person." In this way, our loved ones tried to encourage us to take on the burden of another, feeling what he is going through. Acting is a prime example. Each actor before the performance is simply obliged to "enter" the image of the character. Also, the viewer can feel the character of the hero he is watching.

Empathy in psychology as a sensory characteristic has been with a person from the very beginning. The ability to solve problems, cooperate and find one's place in society was the most important necessity for survival. The manifestation of empathy can be seen at the earliest stages of human development. A baby may cry if he hears another baby crying. This is one type of empathic behavior.

Let's give some examples. One of the students did not pass the exam, while the whole group passed with "excellent". All fellow students empathize and try to cheer up the student who did not have time to prepare. Relatives who came to the funeral also empathize with the widow.

The Benefits of Empathy in Interpersonal Communication

Empathy in the psychology of communication is a fairly effective tool for communication between people. You just need to learn how to use this tool correctly in everyday life. Intuition helps some very well, someone has to put themselves in the place of another person.

Empathic behavior among women is very common. They are accustomed to emotionality, listening to stories and help. Therefore, empathy in their case is a very good tool for achieving goals. For men, it's different. They are not used to showing their emotions, so for them this process is not so emotional.

With the help of empathy and sympathy, you can achieve a good location, become closer to another person. This will allow you to be more sensual and understand the emotional state of other people. People are accustomed to trust those who understand them, who listen carefully and show interest in what is happening.

Development of empathy

Developing the ability to empathize is not so difficult. All you need is the desire and time for special trainings. These exercises are best done in a group of people. This group can be your family, colleagues or friends.

1. Exercise "Guess". Each participant is given a piece of paper on which any feeling or emotion is written. The task of the participants is to depict the written word, and the rest must guess it.
2. "Mirror and Monkey". All participants are divided into pairs. Everyone has a role: one is a mirror, the other is a monkey. The task of the "Monkey" is to show various gestures and facial expressions. The task of the "Mirror" is to repeat all this. After five minutes, the participants change roles, and everything happens again.
3. "Telephone". The participant is given the task of talking on the phone with an imaginary wife, girlfriend, or company director. When speaking, not a single sound is uttered, it is replaced by pantomime. The task of the other participants is to guess who the participant is talking to.

Here are a few exercises. In fact, there are many more. It is best to work them out in a training group.

What kind of empathic person is he?

People with a high level of empathy are kind, compassionate, and sociable. They do not have a habit of blaming others for any unpleasant events in their lives. They don't demand harsh punishments.

Persons with a low level of empathy are unfriendly, aggressive and rather closed.

There are also people with a hypertrophied level of empathy. They fail to control their state of boundless love or hate, and often it takes a painful form.

It often happens that such people are very worried about those who have some problems. This causes great damage to their health, especially the cardiovascular system. Therefore, such people should learn to control their experiences so that there are no complications in the future.

Being an empathic person is a huge gift. Some really need to learn empathy and empathy. Perhaps if each person could accept and understand the pain of another, there would be fewer troubles and wars on our land.

empathy- a rare ability, which consists in an unusually subtle comprehension of the feelings and emotions of another person, as a rule, an interlocutor. Also, this concept includes many additional aspects: it is the ability to put oneself in someone else's place, and the tendency to empathize, and the ability to feel someone else's mood.

Perhaps, for the most part, this is a personal trait of a human character, rather than a psychological characteristic.

Psychological works and treatises on this topic have been written for more than a decade. Almost all eminent psychologists and psychotherapists took part in the development of this issue, including, known to everyone, Sigmund Freud. He argued that the possession of empathy includes not only a subjective understanding of another world, but also the ability to feel all emotions (both positive and negative) from the point of view of another person.

empathy level.

Empathic abilities are rarely innate. Most often, individuals acquire them along with ever-increasing experience. Most often, empathy evokes several responses at once. A person with this gift can simultaneously sympathize, empathize and experience irresistible sympathy for the individual with whom he now has an emotional connection.

Empathy levels is a rather relative term. However, the Internet is replete with tests that offer to find out the presence of this characteristic online. Most often, website creators suggest determining what level of emotional intelligence you are at and divide empaths into 5 groups:

• the first group is not aware of themselves as empaths. They feel emotions and experiences, but identify themselves with them, and not some other person;
• the second group is aware of what they are capable of, but does not fully understand their capabilities and the nature of this skill;
• the third group quite clearly uses their abilities, tuning in to any person whose inner world is of interest.
• the fourth group is able to control all possible emotions and gradually learns to control their "victims" in this way;
• and the fifth group mastered empathic abilities to the fullest, having learned not only to share their feelings with the emotions of other people, but also to gain control over other personalities.

At the moment, empathy is divided into several types:

1. Emotional (it is based on imitation of the motor reactions of another person).
2. Cognitive (based on intellectual processes).
3. Predicative (manifested as the ability to predict the reactions of another).

More-less empathy subject to each of us, to say the least: necessary. It is needed by people whose professions are directly related to communication: psychologists, leaders, managers and many others.

How to develop empathy

Not a small fraction of people are ready to give a lot, just to develop empathic abilities. Experts say that this is quite possible and recommend a number of gaming exercises:

Active listening.

Learn (or teach) to listen to the interlocutor and ask questions that would help him to more fully reveal the topic put forward. Also, a useful skill will be the ability to share your impressions of what you hear (for example: “It was very painful for me to hear your story”).

Exercise Shelter.

To perform it, you need to sit in a chair, relax as much as possible (close your eyes and take a comfortable position) and imagine your ideal refuge. Its forms can be very different. For some, this is the house in which he was born and raised, and for someone, a hut in the forest, where no one will find him. Such fantasies will largely relieve emotional stress and allow you to “reset” the extra load.

Speaking compliments.

The ability to praise others is an important component of all training. You need to start with at least a few flattering compliments a day, because soon enough it will become a habit, and you will begin to find real reasons to be proud of your surroundings.

Analysis of your behavior.

Someone considers this a meaningless reflection, and someone a productive analysis of the actions taken. To do this, you can keep a diary or just set aside a few minutes every day for a frank conversation with yourself.

It should be borne in mind that the older a person is, the more difficult it is for him to develop empathy, as the experienced experience does not always allow you to objectively evaluate others.

Also, remember that the acquired capacity for empathy can be easily destroyed by fear alone. It is well known that empaths try to avoid conflict situations, protecting themselves and others from quarrels and disputes. However, if this fails, sensitive people begin to suffer from panic attacks and look for ways to correct their thinking, which completely destroys all their abilities.

Who among us has not adopted the feelings of a loved one during a heart-to-heart conversation. The ability to adapt to the mood and emotional state of the interlocutor is an important feature of the socialization of the individual. This feeling is called empathy.

Definition

Empathy is a conscious empathy with the emotional state of a person while maintaining an understanding of the external origin of the source of feeling. In simple terms, the phenomenon under consideration can be explained as the ability to understand and feel other people's emotions, to enter into the position of another.

The term is of Greek origin. The meaning of the word empathy can be translated from it as "in suffering, feelings, passions." The term was introduced into modern scientific circulation by the experimental psychologist E.B. Titchener at the end of the 19th century.

Sigmund Freud at the beginning of the 20th century characterized empathy as a process of assessing the patient's mental state, projecting this state onto oneself, an attempt to understand these emotions and feelings through comparison with one's own feelings. Its main feature is the absence of involvement in any emotion, as happens with compassion.

Main types and levels

Types of empathy in psychology:

1. Emotional. This type is based on mechanical projection and imitation of the interlocutor's motor and affective reactions. Mechanical projection is a psychological defense mechanism in which internal feelings are perceived as coming from outside. It manifests itself in the form of attributing one's feelings and emotions to the interlocutor with the conviction that this feeling comes from external influences, and not from within. Motor reactions are understood as small motor operations that accompany action, communication. An affective reaction is a violent emotional action, a sharp change in state.
2. Cognitive. This controlled empathy is based on processes of an intellectual nature: comparison, analogy, opposition.
3. Predicative. Empathy, which consists in the ability to predict the affective reactions of the interlocutor.

There are several special forms of empathic behavior:

• empathy - identification of the emotional feelings of the interlocutor;
• sympathy (compassion) is a form of expressing a state in response to the experiences of another person.

Psychological levels of empathy:

1. High (third). Increased empathy is manifested in the fact that a person deeply empathizes with the state of others. Often such inclusion is on the verge of losing control. It occurs quite rarely.
2. Medium (second). The level at which a person has the ability to control empathy, but puts his own feelings in the first place. Average empathy is typical for most modern people. Other people's feelings and emotions do not matter for their lives. The main thing is the process of action, and not the emotional overtones of these actions.
3. Low (first). The level is characterized by indifference, indifference to the state of other people. Such people usually have problems with socialization, they are unsociable, lead a reclusive lifestyle, they have no friends and relatives.

Separately, it is worth mentioning a group of people who use controlled empathy for professional purposes (doctors, teachers, actors, writers, employees of special government services, etc.). Such people tend to develop controlled empathy in order to achieve professional goals.

Empathy, sympathy and reflection

For a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of controlled empathy, it is necessary to define the processes closely related to it.

Compassion is an integral element of empathy, manifested in the expression of one's attitude to the suffering of another person.

Identification is a conscious psychological and emotional behavior, which manifests itself in the complete identification of oneself with the state of another person, a group of people. It is often a psychological defense mechanism in adverse conditions.

Reflection is awareness of oneself, one's consciousness. It manifests itself in values, motives, interests, worldview, behavioral patterns, thinking, emotional response. All these personal structures are formed due to the awareness of actions, their rethinking and structuring.

In simple words, reflection is not just a person's knowledge of something, but knowledge about this knowledge. Such a definition of the phenomenon was given by the famous philosopher and theologian P.T. de Chardin. In the context of the problem under consideration, reflection differs from empathy in that a person completely dissolves in the problem, the feelings of the interlocutor, leaving no room for one's own Self. Empathy maintains a clear distinction between controlled empathy and one's own feelings.

Manifestations in life

The phenomenon under consideration plays a significant role in the life of every person. It manifests itself in various fields of activity.

Medical assessment

In medicine, empathy is understood as the meaning of the psychological term "empathic listening". The latter term means understanding the emotional state of the interlocutor and demonstrating this understanding. It often manifests itself when a patient is interviewed by a doctor. The doctor, using the empathic mechanism, understands the patient's condition, and the latter sees it in the doctor's behavior and emotions.

In medicine, empathy helps to obtain the most objective information about the feelings and thoughts of the patient. Feeling understanding, people open up, express feelings more vividly, talk about the state in detail and sincerely.

The ability to empathize to varying degrees is inherent in all healthy people..

Psychological assessment

What is empathy in psychology: the normal emotional state of a person in appropriate situations. There are several methods for determining its level. Procedures have been created to capture individual manifestations of this ability.

When characterizing the psychological aspects of empathy, it is noted that the understanding of the external origin of the state is preserved, that is, an empathic person is clearly aware that his partner's feelings are reflected on him. If this does not happen, the state is referred to as identification with the interlocutor.

An empathetic person clearly distinguishes between his inner, personal feelings and sensations that arise in response to the emotions of the interlocutor. Such perception allows you to actively use empathy for a greater disclosure of the experience, the patient's internal state.

Pedagogical assessment

Empathy is a key aspect of socialization, so pedagogy pays great attention to its development. The key problem of the modern educational process is the lack of established, trusting, respectful relationships between teachers and students. And the responsibility lies with an adult - a teacher. Teachers do not know how to take the position of their students in order to understand the problems. Lack of understanding affects all levels: intellectual, emotional and social.

School is not only a tool for transferring basic knowledge to young people, but also an institution for the formation of a personality that must adapt to a full life in society. Without empathy, this cannot be achieved, so the teacher should, by example, develop conscious empathy in children.

Scientific assessment

From the point of view of physiology, empathy is perceived as the ability to reflect the action and state of other beings through the activation of special mirror neurons. It is known that areas of the amygdala and the cerebral cortex are responsible for the feeling of empathy. People with damage to these areas are incapable of controlled empathy, do not capture the emotions and feelings of other people in the process of communication.

Empathy and art

The importance of empathy in art is difficult to overestimate. Empathy is important everywhere: in music, painting, writing, theater and cinematography. For those who create and create, controlled empathy allows you to create masterpieces. The composer captures the moods of the surrounding world, people and creates an appropriate piece of music. The writer plunges into the world of the heroes of his works in order to convey the mood in the story. Theater and film actors understand the inner state of their character.

Equally important is empathy for the viewer. Empathy allows you to isolate the mood of the music from a set of sounds. An empathic person feels the feelings of the characters in stories, plays and films. Such people are able to empathize, but they understand the staging of the ongoing action.

Characteristic

Empathy is inherent in all healthy people, so it is neutral. But the depth of manifestation of states of controlled empathy can be positive or negative. Everything depends on the situation.

The manifestation of empathy is carried out due to various signals:

• deeds;
• speech;
• facial expressions;
• gestures.

pros

Empathy is necessary for full socialization. The feeling of controlled empathy is formed in childhood, when the child sees the involvement of an adult, parent or other relative in his state. This behavior is being adopted. Empathic states make it easier to find a common language, feel involved in the life of the family, community, people around, country, nation.

The possession of empathy brings significant benefits in the profession. The ability to adapt to the state of the interlocutor is important in negotiations, professional sales, networking and contacts.

Minuses

A high level of empathy often has a negative impact on the bearer of this feeling. Thus, it was noted that acute empathy increases the likelihood of developing depressive processes, stress, mental disorders and phobias.

A low level of empathy significantly complicates life in the social sphere. People who have an underestimated level of it, more often than others, face problems in communication, building close relationships.

Definition of an empath

Who is an empath: he has a developed ability for conscious empathy, usually referred to as an empath. Often in conversations you can hear the word empant. This pronunciation is wrong, the correct concept sounds different.

Main features

Empathic abilities are closely related to the level of human development. The higher the spiritual and intellectual level, the higher the ability to express controlled compassion.

Characteristics of an empath:

• intuitive understanding of the feelings and sensations of another;
• the ability to sincerely empathize;
• the ability to easily take the place of another;
• the ability to abstract, to look at the situation from the outside;
• the ability to understand and accept someone else's point of view without evidence, argumentation and disputes.

Personal testing

In psychology, there are several special questionnaires for determining empathy. One of the most elaborated is the test compiled by clinical psychologist S. Baron-Cohen.

There is another simple and popular way to help assess the level of empathy - the scale of emotional response. The technique was developed by a psychologist from the USA A. Megrabyan:

• it consists of twenty-five questions;
• each item of the test involves the choice of 1 of 4 answers;
• each of the four options is assigned a certain number of points;
• based on the amount, a person's ability to control empathy is determined.

Another test was developed by the domestic teacher V.V. Boyko. It allows you to assess the level of personal empathy. Boyko's test, in contrast to the emotional response scale, is simpler, but it is superficial, i.e., the accuracy and reliability of its results are lower. The technique contains thirty-six questions that must be answered "yes" or "no". The Boyko test is aimed at determining predispositions to emotional empathy.

Empathy Management

Empathy is an important sensory aspect of everyday life. Its development and ability to control allows you to qualitatively change life for the better, the ability to understand another person is the main step towards building healthy, positive relationships. Controlling the state of another person makes it possible to catch conflict situations and avoid them.

How to develop empathy? To do this, there are various systems, methods and exercises.

Empathy exercises:

1. Concentration is not on your own conclusions, but on the meaning of the phrases and words of the interlocutor in the dialogue. The ability to listen and hear will allow you to better understand people when communicating.
2. Concentration of attention on people around, colleagues, acquaintances, relatives. How do they live, what are their interests, problems, successes.
3. Conversations with strangers in transport, on the street. Communicating with people outside your circle will help you better understand the lives of others.
4. Playing the situation of the interlocutor on oneself, building a line of behavior, working out emotional manifestations.
5. Analysis of their feelings and experiences in various situations, their memorization. The development of emotional memory will allow you to quickly project the situation onto another and better understand him.

Empathy does not always play a positive role in life. Many people tend to reduce their empathy for others. To do this, you need to focus on yourself, constantly occupy yourself with hobbies, new hobbies. Constant concentration will not leave time for the manifestation of specific states. When developing empathy, remember that a high level of empathy has negative consequences.

empathy) E. is usually understood as a compassionate experience by one person. feelings, perceptions and thoughts, etc. Some early European and American psychologists and philosophers, such as M. Scheler and W. McDougall, considered empathy as the basis of all positive social. relations. In the context of this broad definition, various theorists and researchers have defined this term in completely different ways, emphasizing different aspects or semantic meanings in it. Clinical psychologists and other researchers of therapeutic situations, such as C. Troyes, tend to interpret this term most broadly to include the therapist's intellectual understanding of the client, the therapist's sharing of the client's feelings, the ease and effectiveness of communication, and the therapist's positive attitude towards the patient. Such a broad understanding of empathy seems intuitively attractive, but the confusion of various aspects and meanings of empathy leads to theories. confusion, because it becomes unclear which of the aspects is central, by definition or causally, with the other aspects as consequences or derivatives. Dr. psychologists such as R. Diamond single out cognitive aspects, focusing on the ability of one subject to intellectually understand the inner experience of another. The value of cognitive empathy, apparently, lies in its ability to facilitate the process of communication between two people. It is also assumed that the empathic person, as a result, will be more prone to expressing sympathy, helping and accepting others. experiencing this emotion. Some theorists working within the framework of developmental psychology believe that such an interpenetration of the feelings of a parent and a child is a key link in the process of maturation. Empathic emotional arousal is reflected in subjective self-reports and in the physiologist. changes. Stotland and colleagues found, however, that a prerequisite for E., apparently, is the imagination of oneself as having the same experience as other people. - in other words, the imaginary acceptance of the role of this other. Such a psychic. process is opposed to the consideration of others. in a more objectified or rational manner. This approach to E. intersects with the previously described cognitive-oriented approach in that it is the main. on the cognitive or mental the process of imagination. However, unlike a purely cognitive-oriented approach, this cognitive process does not necessarily have to reflect the real events of real people, and so on. E. subjects can empathize with the actor or the hero of the novel. Imagination of experience others. turns out to be superior. based on an attributive projection, since people are likely to empathize more with those who are in a situation that the subject of E. has already experienced, directly observed, or imagined himself in it. The connection between the imagination process and the processes associated with the physiologist. or behavioral manifestations of emotion m. complicated enough. This connection may arise as a result of the formation of a direct, past assoc. through a process involving subtle threshold or subthreshold muscle movements, or it may occur directly at the level of neural activity. Philosophers and theoretical sociologists have long expressed the opinion that the manifestation of E. leads to greater helpfulness and even altruism. This simple connection has been empirically demonstrated when E. was invoked with instructions, as reported by M. Toy and D. Batson. Stotland and his colleagues have shown that E., when measured as an individual characteristic, also leads to altruism, especially when helping actions are easily implemented. Hoffman and G. Salzstein report that if parents have warm relationships with their children and draw their attention to how the consequences of their behavior affect the well-being of others, such children are more likely to relate well to other people than in the absence of these conditions. In contrast, Stotland and his colleagues found that in situations where it is not easy or even impossible to help a suffering other, the experiencing E. may try to escape from this unpleasant situation - physically or psychologically - by "freezing" his feelings. If the other's pain reaches an extreme degree or manifests itself in the form of severe agony, the empathic subject may physically or psychologically withdraw from this situation. Batson and Coke report that this escape from painful empathy is less likely to occur if the person in question is not only imbued with the feelings of others, but also sympathizes with him - that is, reports a feeling of emotional urge to help others, a feeling of compassion, pity and heartfelt participation. Hoffman showed that, regardless of the theory used. approach to E., methods of its measurement based on self-reports always give higher rates for women compared to men. See also Emotions, Representations, Social interest E. Stotland

empathy

Understanding the emotional state of another person through empathy, penetration into his subjective world.

The term "E." appeared in the English dictionary in 1912 and was close to the concept of "sympathy". Arose on the basis of the German word einfuhling (literal meaning - penetration), used by Lipps (Lipps T.) in 1885 in connection with the psychological theory of the impact of art. The earliest definition of E. is contained in the work of Freud (Freud S.) "Wit and its relation to the unconscious" (1905): "We take into account the patient's mental state, put ourselves in this state and try to understand it by comparing it with our own."

A number of authors compared E. with other processes close to it. Unlike intuition as a direct perception of ideas, E. includes feelings and thoughts (Bodalev A. A., Kashtanova T. R., 1975). E. is distinguished from identification, which is unconscious and accompanies the process of the "psychotherapist-patient" relationship. E. can be conscious and preconscious and arises in response to direct interaction. It is necessary to distinguish between pity ("I feel sorry for you"), sympathy ("I sympathize with you") and E. ("I am with you"). E. as one of the characteristics of a psychotherapist (Rogers' triad) in client-centered psychotherapy is an important condition for constructive personality changes.

There is a wide range of manifestations of E. At one pole of this continuum is the position of the psychotherapist's subjective inclusion in the patient's world of feelings. It is important not only for the doctor to know the emotional state of the patient, but also to a certain extent experience his feelings. Such E., based on the mechanisms of identification and projection, is called affective, or emotional, E. The other pole takes the position of a more abstract, objective understanding by the doctor of the patient's experiences without significant emotional involvement. If the development of E. is based on intellectual processes (for example, analogy), then it is defined as cognitive E. When using predictions of the patient's emotional reactions, the manifestations of E. refer to predicative E.

Client-centered psychotherapists have expanded the idea of ​​E. with the concept of "accurate E.", which contains more than just the therapist's ability to penetrate the patient's inner world. "Exact E." includes the ability to understand actual feelings and the verbal ability to convey this understanding in a language that is clear to the patient. E. is included in a wider range of personal characteristics of the psychotherapist, reflected in his communication with the patient. E.'s assessment turned out to be closely related to such characteristics of a doctor as professional art, warmth, goodwill, reliability, life experience, strength, sincerity, etc. Empathic understanding is not the result of intellectual efforts. E. psychotherapist depends on the accessibility and richness of his own experience, the accuracy of perception, the ability to tune in, listening to the patient, on the same emotional wave with him. Many authors consider E. a genetically determined property, strengthened or weakened by the individual's life experience. Various training methods increase the psychotherapist's empathic ability, the ability to apply it more effectively in communicating with the patient. The art of using E. lies in the optimal synchronization of the psychotherapist's intentions and the expected effect. Perhaps the erroneous use of E. This includes "empathic blindness" (the psychotherapist's unconscious rejection of those feelings that he avoids in himself), uncontrolled use of E. (in fiction, an example of this type of E. is the behavior of Prince Myshkin in "Idiot" F.M. . Dostoevsky), manipulative use of E. (when it acts as a hidden persuasion, persuasion, suggestion).

Numerous studies have shown a positive correlation between E. patients' assessment of a psychotherapist and the success of treatment in various types of psychotherapy, especially client-centered psychotherapy.

empathy

empathy; Einfuhlung) is an introjection of an object based on an unconscious projection of subjective contents.

"Empathy presupposes a subjective relation of trust or confidence in the object. It is a willingness to meet the object halfway, a subjective assimilation leading to a good understanding between subject and object, or at least depicting one" (PT, par. 489).

In contrast to the abstraction associated with introversion, empathy corresponds to an extraverted attitude.

"A person with an empathic attitude finds himself in a world that needs his subjective feeling in order to have life and soul. He trustfully endows it with his inspiration" (ibid., par. 492).

empathy

empathy) (einfuehlung) "The ability to project one's own personality onto the object of empathy, thereby fully comprehending it" (S.O.D.). The ability to feel in the place of the object. The concept implies that a person simultaneously feels himself an object, and continues to be aware of his own identity as an independent person. This word is necessary because the term "sympathy" is used when it comes to the ability to share unpleasant experiences and does not imply that the sympathizer necessarily retains his objectivity. The capacity for EMPATHY is an essential prerequisite for psychoanalytic therapy. It may be cited as an example of projective IDENTIFICATION, but this is rarely done.

empathy

the ability to comprehend the emotional state of another person; complete absence is a sign of emotional dullness, which serves as a prerequisite for committing cruel crimes against the person.

empathy

comprehension of the emotional state, penetration, empathy into the experiences of another person. The ability of an individual to parallel experience those emotions that arise in another individual in the course of communication with him. Understanding another person through emotional empathy with his experiences. The term was introduced into psychology by E. Titchener. Differ:

1) emotional empathy - based on the mechanisms of projection and imitation of the motor and affective reactions of another;

2) cognitive empathy - based on intellectual processes - comparison, analogy, etc.;

3) predicative empathy - manifested as the ability to predict the affective reactions of another in specific situations. How special forms of empathy stand out:

1) empathy-experiencing the same emotional states that another experiences, through identification with him;

2) sympathy - experiencing one's own emotional states in connection with the feelings of another. An important characteristic of the processes of empathy, which distinguishes it from other types of understanding, such as identification, acceptance of roles, decentration, and so on, is the weak development of the reflexive side (-> reflection), isolation within the framework of direct emotional experience. It has been established that empathic ability usually increases with the growth of life experience; empathy is easier to implement when the behavioral and reactions of emotional subjects are similar.

empathy

Greek empatheia - empathy). Comprehension of the emotional state of another person with empathy. The concept of E. generalizes similar in content ideas about sympathy and the provisions of the concept of empathy. E. can be emotional, intellectual (cognitive), and predicative (predicting the experiences of another person, his affective reactions in specific situations). There are also special forms of E. - empathy and sympathy. Empathy - experiencing the emotional state of another on the basis of identification with him; empathy - feeling for the feelings of another. The study of E. is important for solving a number of socio-psychological problems. In psychiatry, the concept of E. is involved in the development of methods of social rehabilitation, in the study of the genesis of unmotivated crimes, etc.

empathy

from the Greek empatheia - empathy).

1. Non-rational knowledge of the inner world of other people by a person (empathy). The ability to E. is a necessary condition for the development of such a professional quality as insight in a practical psychologist (consultant, psychotherapist).

2. Aesthetic E. - empathy with an artistic object, a source of aesthetic pleasure.

3. Emotional responsiveness of a person to the experiences of another, a kind of social (moral) emotions. E. as an emotional response is carried out in elementary (reflex) and in higher personal forms (sympathy, empathy, rejoicing). At the heart of E. as social cognition and higher forms of E. as an emotional response is the mechanism of decentration. It is human nature to experience a wide range of empathic reactions and experiences. In higher personal forms, E. expresses the attitude of a person to other people. Empathy and sympathy are distinguished as a person's experience for himself (egocentric E.) and for another (humanistic E.).

Empathizing, a person experiences emotions identical to those observed. However, empathy can arise not only in relation to the observed, but also to the imaginary emotions of others, as well as in relation to the experiences of characters in works of art, cinema, theater, literature (aesthetic empathy). See Identification.

With sympathy, a person experiences something different than the one who caused him an emotional response. Compassion encourages a person to help another. The more stable a person's altruistic motives, the wider the circle of people whom he, sympathizing with, helps (see Altruism).

Finally, sympathy is a warm, benevolent attitude of a person towards other people. (T. P. Gavrilova.)

EMPATHY

A special way of perceiving and comprehending the psychological states of other people. Literally, empathy means "feeling" in another person - as opposed to sympathy, that is, "sympathy". The term empathy goes back to the aesthetics and psychology of the 19th century, when empathy denoted a way of understanding and explaining an object based on motor imitation and conclusions from observations of one's own kinesthetic sensations.

The ability to empathize seems to be associated with the development of preverbal interactions between mother and child, when desires and needs coincide with reactions to them. The possibility of such coincidences is an essential prerequisite for analytic practice. In the analytic situation, empathy is the result of "free-floating attention" and the analyst's developed autonomy, which is an important component of his working self. The analyst should not regard empathy as a mystical or transcendent phenomenon. The verbal and non-verbal activity of the patient, his affects during the analytic work cause the analyst to resonate, so to speak, parallel states. The self-perception or introspection of the analyst then becomes a source of information about the patient. Empathy, therefore, is a temporary and partial regression of the self, providing an easily reversible identification with the analysand, and thus serving the analytic process. Empathy can occur in the absence of verbal communication and understanding; under such conditions it manifests itself as a reaction to the experience of the loss of the analytic relationship.

Empathy is a preconscious, automatic and "silent" process. It coexists with other, more objective ways of obtaining information about the feelings and behavior of the patient. To achieve full analytic understanding, direct, empathic impressions must be correlated and integrated with other information. Thus, empathy includes many components - affective, cognitive and logical - which interact to form the basis for analytic treatment.

Empathy is not a substitute for the analysis of transference and resistance, although it can provide information about these processes. It is relatively neutral and lacks a judgmental component, in contrast to the related phenomena of compassion and sympathy, from which it must be strictly separated. Compassion and sympathy lack objectivity, involve over-identification, and often lead to fantasies of deliverance. Empathy, in combination with other methods of analytical observation and understanding, can become one of the most important sources of countertransference.

From the point of view of the psychoanalytic psychology of the Self (Kohut, 1959), empathy means an adequate perception and response to the patient's feelings and needs. In general, psychoanalysis considers empathy as focusing on the patient's inner world. Therefore, it is customary among analysts to talk about the empathic components of understanding, interpretation, or intervention, without elevating empathy to the rank of a basic principle of analytic technique.

empathy

from the Greek empatheia - empathy) non-rational human knowledge of the inner world of other people (empathy); emotional responsiveness of a person to the experiences of another.

empathy

the ability to identify with another person, to feel what he feels. Empathy, highly valued by C. Rogers, Perls contrasted with sympathy, when the therapist remains completely open to his own being and thereby offers the client a partnership in order to establish an authentic "I / you" relationship.

Empathy (empathy)

The term denotes our awareness of the emotional state of another person and the ability to share his experience. In the latter case, we actually experience the same emotions. Most often, we share the emotions of our children (ie, we are proud of them when they are proud of themselves, we share their sadness and loneliness). Empathy with another person means something more than pity for him or satisfaction with his actions; we share deeply with him such emotions as joy, suffering, anger, and so on. When these emotions are painful, we often feel the need to take action to help release them. The theory of empathic altruism explains human altruism in terms of shared suffering. According to this theory, we help people in need to get rid of our own suffering caused by empathy.

empathy

Empathy is the ability of a person to understand the thoughts and feelings of others. The empathy of a psychotherapist is often considered one of the main qualities that contributes to the successful treatment of patients. See Alexithymia.

empathy

Word formation. Comes from the Greek. empatheia - empathy.

Specificity. The ability of a person to involuntarily experience those emotions that arise in another person in the process of communicating with him. The individual begins - against conscious control - to share the moods of another person. Due to this, a greater mutual understanding is achieved, which is very important for psychotherapeutic work.

empathy

1. Cognitive awareness and understanding of the emotions and feelings of another person. In this sense, the main connotation of the term would be an intellectual or conceptual understanding of the affects of the other. 2. A vicarious emotional response to another person's emotional experiences that reflects or mimics those emotions. In this sense, it is clearly implied that empathic experiences are sharing an emotion with another person. 3. Acceptance in one's own mind of the role of another person. This meaning is derived from the first one, but differs slightly in that it adds the notion that empathy involves taking the direction of another person. This meaning is found frequently in the moral development literature, in which some authors argue that empathic feelings for others are a prerequisite for the development of moral norms. 4. In G. Sullivan's theory of personality, it is a non-verbalized, hidden communicative process, through which attitudes, feelings and judgments are transmitted from person to person without their public pronunciation. This term is used by G. Sullivan very broadly, it includes more limited senses of the above meanings. For more on affect sharing terminology, see sympathy.

Source: Unlike sympathy, which includes sympathy for another person and empathy with him, empathy involves involvement in the process of benevolent relationships with him while maintaining an objective look at the origins and nature of his experiences. In the process of psychoanalytic therapy, the analyst seeks to empathize with the patient's mental state so that, being involved in his intimate experiences, but capable of an objective assessment of what is happening, help him to understand the unconscious and gain the forces that contribute to recovery.

In self-analysis, the main method of studying one's own behavior and inner experiences is introspection. In psychoanalysis, based on the establishment of a trusting relationship between the analyst and the patient, empathy becomes an important method of understanding the inner world of the patient. It does not replace the free association or resistance analysis that underlies psychoanalytic therapy. At the same time, empathy turns out to be such a method of comprehending the patient's inner world, without which psychoanalytic treatment becomes problematic. Some psychoanalysts believe that "free association and analysis of resistances should be considered auxiliary tools in the service of an introspective and empathic method of observation." This point of view was expressed, in particular, by H. Kohut (1913-1981) in his report "Introspection, empathy and psychoanalysis: a study of the relationship between observation and theory", read at a conference at the Chicago Institute of Psychoanalysis in 1957.

Empathy involves the identification of the analyst with the patient. To some extent, it resembles a projective identification. At the same time, empathy is not such an identification with the patient, due to which the analyst completely identifies himself with the latter. On the contrary, having the opportunity to become involved with the inner world of another person, the analyst retains the ability to distance himself from him in terms of presenting his own unbiased interpretations and developing a psychoanalytic therapy strategy acceptable for a particular analytical situation.

empathy

from the Greek empatheia - empathy) - comprehension of the emotional state, penetration into the feelings and experiences of another person. Distinguish emotional E., based on the mechanisms of projection and imitation of the motor and affective reactions of another person; cognitive E., based on intellectual processes (comparison, analogy, etc.), and predicative E., which manifests itself as a person’s ability to predict the affective reactions of others. Empathy is distinguished as special forms of E. - the experience by the subject of the same emotional states that another person experiences through identification with him, and sympathy is the experience of one's own emotional states about the feelings of others. An important characteristic of E. is the weak development of the reflective side, isolation within the framework of direct emotional experience. It has been established that the empathic ability of individuals increases with the growth of life experience; E. is easier to implement in the case of the similarity of the behavioral and emotional reactions of the subjects. In pre-conflict and conflict situations, E. contributes to a more adequate perception by opponents of each other and of the problem as a whole. E. helps to prevent conflicts, make them less sharp and constructive. E. is a progressively important quality of a conflictologist.

empathy

In psychology, comprehension of the emotional state, penetration-feeling into the experiences of another person. When we listen to someone, it is very useful to do this in relation to the speaker (our interlocutor or speaker in front of us with a monologue). Put yourself in that person's place. As far as possible to get used to his circumstances, his problems, especially his personality, his style of thinking, his mentality. This also requires some willpower. There are emotional empathy (comprehension of the experiences of another through empathy) and cognitive empathy based on intellectual processes (penetrating, getting used to the intellect of another). And by the way, a good tone, the rules of secular conversation prescribe the observance of at least purely external manifestations of empathy - smile sympathetically, ask the interlocutor with interest about his personality, etc. When we try to comprehend our interlocutor, our addresser by means of empathy, we reach the highest level of verbal communication , the greatest semantic contact with him. In this case, we comprehend its personal meanings (see).