A fellow DoNM over at OneAngryDaughter wrote a great post on the difference between empathy and compassion. Thought I'd share a bit of it here:
Empathy is the capacity to truly understand the experience of another, emotionally, mentally, and sometimes even physically. It doesn't mean that you necessarily agree, simply that you understand. In an empathic state, you experience the thoughts, feelings and sensations of another within your own mind.
Compassion requires some level of empathic awareness, but it goes beyond awareness. Compassion is a radiating desire to console, comfort, and alleviate the pain and suffering of another. It is a deep sense of sorrow and sympathy for the other person's misfortune. Compassion is the tendency to feel another's ache, along with the need to extend a kindness, to do something about it.
To read more of this great post, click here.
About Me
- DisturbedAngel
- I am 38 years old, married to a wonderful, loving man and the proud stay-at-home mama to a beautiful little boy. I grew up with a narcissistic mother and abusive stepfather. My half sister has always been the golden child and I, the family scapegoat who can never seem to measure up. After years of bending over backward to try and have a good relationship with my half sister, I finally severed contact in March of 2009. Then, in January of 2010, I also severed all contact with my narcissistic mother. (Updated to add that as of May 2011, I've also cut ties with my narcissistic father and stepmother as well.) Currently, I am back in contact with my NM in a limited capacity. Walking away from all that toxicity was a LONG time coming but I can't believe how much better I feel because of it. This diary is intended primarily to be a log of my journey toward healing from the abuses I've endured. I hope it will also become a place where others who've been cast as the family scapegoat or who've been the victims of a narcissist's abuse can find comfort in knowing they aren't alone.
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