What is Empathy?

What is Empathy“Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.”    
– Alfred Adler

Empathy is the ability to recognize and understand the feelings of others and showing that you care with supportive and compassionate words and/or actions.  Empathy is taking the perspective of others and respecting their opinions or points of view.

 

Here’s a helpful mnemonic created by developmental psychologist Mimi Black:

E = ENRICH your child’s “feelings vocabulary”

M = MODEL empathic responses

P = PRAISE your child for their empathic words and actions

A = ASK questions that encourage empathic responses

T = TAKE ADVANTAGE of situations and interactions as springboards for discussion

H = HONOR your child’s feelings

Y = Share YOUR feelings and experiences, when appropriate

Empathy by Jef Joslin
(Produced by Songfinch)

Excuse me
I noticed that your smile went away
And now I see a frown in its place
So I wonder if you’re feeling sad
How you feel, it must feel bad
Oh if I were you I know I’d feel the same

You gotta put yourself
In someone else’s shoes
And that’s how you will know
Which words or action you should choose
If how you feel
Connects you to me
Don’t you see
That’s empathy

Now you’re beaming
And if I had to guess
I’d have to say
That you’re excited about
What you did today
And I’d be smiling ear to ear
And it makes me so happy to hear
If I were in your shoes I’d be excited too

You gotta put yourself
In someone else’s shoes
And that’s how you will know
Which words or action you should choose
If how you feel connects you to me
Don’t you see
That’s empathy

Even though I’m not you
And I have my feelings too
I will listen to learn what I should do
And when a parent shows empathy
They give children all that they need
By teaching them powerful tools

You gotta put yourself
In someone else’s shoes
And that’s how you will know
Which words or action you should choose
If how you feel connects you to me
Don’t you see
That’s empathy

You gotta put yourself
In someone else’s shoes
And that’s how you will know
Which words or action you should choose
If how you feel connects you to me
Don’t you see
That’s empathy

That’s empathy
That’s empathy