What is the difference between sympathy and compassion?

Definitions

- Expressing concern or sorrow for someone's misfortune. - Feeling sorry for someone's pain or suffering. - Showing support or understanding for someone's difficult situation.

- Feeling empathy and understanding for someone's suffering. - Showing kindness and concern for someone in distress. - Taking action to alleviate someone's pain or suffering.

List of Similarities

  • 1Both involve feeling for someone else's pain or suffering.
  • 2Both can be expressed through words or actions.
  • 3Both are positive emotions that show care and concern for others.

What is the difference?

  • 1Definition: Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone's pain, while compassion is feeling empathy and taking action to alleviate their suffering.
  • 2Focus: Sympathy is focused on acknowledging someone's pain, while compassion is focused on taking action to help them.
  • 3Intensity: Compassion is a stronger emotion than sympathy as it involves taking action to alleviate someone's suffering.
  • 4Application: Sympathy is often used in situations where there is no direct action that can be taken, while compassion is used when action can be taken to help someone.
  • 5Connotation: Compassion has a more positive connotation than sympathy as it involves taking action to help someone, while sympathy can sometimes be seen as a passive emotion.
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Remember this!

Sympathy and compassion are both positive emotions that show care and concern for others. However, the difference between sympathy and compassion is that sympathy is feeling sorry for someone's pain, while compassion is feeling empathy and taking action to alleviate their suffering.

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