怎樣區分同情（sympathy）和共情（empathy）？

01-16

謝邀！@ Lynne.C 下面有翻譯：）

This is a really good question. I have spent an entire class (for a graduate level course in Counselling Skills) exploring the difference between sympathy and empathy.

I will use a story to illustrate the difference between these two words.

Imagine seeing someone stuck in a deep pit.

One person says "Oh that poor person stuck in the pit."
Another person says nothing but climbs down into the hole to be with the person and help them out.

In this story, the person who feels bad for the person is demonstrating sympathy and the person who climbs into the hole to be with the person demonstrates empathy.

Generally, sympathy is "feeling sorry" or "showing concern for sb/sth". Empathy is feeling with the person or "experiencing the person"s feelings as your own".

I hope this is helpful.

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栗子的知乎答案索引：栗子樹

栗子的微信公眾號：E-Speller 或者 栗子英文 （只有精彩的原創）

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謝謝 @SilentLeo 的翻譯：

這是個好問題，我曾經在向研究生開設的心理諮詢課上花了一整節課時間來探究這兩個詞的區別。

現在我用一個故事來解釋這兩個詞的區別。

想像一下你看到一個人身體卡在一口深井裡了。
路過的一個人說「這個人好可憐啊，竟然卡在井裡了。」
路過的另一個人啥也沒說，自己爬到那個井裡，和那個卡在井裡的人在一起，然後幫助他爬出來。

在這個故事裡，第一個表達「這個人好可憐」的人是在展示自己的sympathy（同情，憐憫）。而第二個選擇爬到井裡和掉井的人在一起的，是在展示empathy（共情）。

概括來說，sympathy是對某人表達同情和關心。empathy是和某人一起感受，或者說是親身去體驗某人的感受。

希望這能幫到您。

曾經因為弄不清empathy和sympathy的區別，請教了幾個native speakers，他們說在英語國家很多人都混用這倆單詞，但其實他們是有區別的，只是大多數人都不怎麼care這個問題。現在就我自己的理解和從他們那尋來的答案做個梳理總結:

empathy對應的中文是"移情作用"。

empathy(移情作用)是一種能力，就是我們所說的換位思考。當說到empathy的時候，你不能真切地感受到別人的感受，你只能靠你的主觀想像，來猜測別人內心的感受。

So,empathy is an ability,it means to put yourself in other person"s shoes in your imagination,to mentally calculating the effects of feeling what the other person is feeling.

sympathy它的一個意思是"同情"，另一個更深的意思是"共鳴"。(這個才是重要的)

"同情"大家都能理解，對別人的遭遇表示悲傷，難過。

sympathy①: feeling compassion, sorry,pity for someone"s misfortune.

而第二種意思:"共鳴"，是一種精神層次上的感受。兩個不同的個體有著共同的喜好，目標，品味，能真切的感受對方內心的感受，而不再是通過想像來推測對方的內心感受，這叫做sympathy。

sympathy②:sympathy is about feeling together,a kind of common feeling.For example, If two people share same interests,feeling or value,and when they talk about one book or one song that they both like,they feel real connected and perfectly understood .

拙見。(僅從英語單詞的角度來說明)

sympathy is a feeling that you feel someone is poor and need help.

empathy is an analysis by which you find some reasons for someone"s certain actions.

我想用歷史上的管鮑之交來作為例子非常恰當。

管仲和鮑叔牙一起做生意，賺了錢管仲總是主動拿大頭。

如果你感覺管仲太霸道，鮑叔牙吃虧了，應該平均分配，你這是sympathy

如果你像鮑叔牙一樣，認為管仲家庭條件很艱苦，吃不飽飯，他拿大頭是對的，那這就是empathy.

sympathy 是別人處於某種境地，你覺得他很可憐，應該幫助他。助人為樂做好事基本都是這種心態。這種心態是以自己的標準為判斷標尺，站在自己立場上的感受。比如一個要飯的餓的快不行了，你會同情，覺得應該給他一口吃的讓他度過難關。但是，如果是穿得很好的幾個小夥子，因為旅遊一時沒錢了蹲在那裡要錢，你會非常鄙視的走開，絕對不會給他錢。

empathy 是別人做出了某個行為，你站在他的立場上替他找出他這樣做的理由。他的行為是否是對的，是否為大眾所接受，甚至是否違法都無所謂。你只是站在他的角度，或說變成他，替他的行為找原因。你實際上是在對他進行心理分析，心理解剖。所以，empathy實際上是一個心理學範疇的一個概念，是心理分析的一種方法。

再說說管仲鮑叔牙的例子，管仲上前線去打仗，結果戰場開溜，當了逃兵。鮑叔牙說，他家有八十老母靠他養，他不能死，他逃跑是對的。這就是典型的empathy 而不是sympathy。

即便這個理由有合理性，站在部隊的角度也難以接受。家有老母的何止你管仲一人？要是大家都這樣，一上戰場就想起家人來當逃兵，那部隊還怎麼打仗？所以，鮑叔牙的empathy只是給管仲的行為找了個理由，並不必然使他的行為具有合理性和可接受性。

sympathy的行為指向是幫助別人，你過得好一點我心裡舒服。

empathy的行為指向是認識別人，啊！你原來是這麼想得啊！是在盡量準確的還原別人的心路歷程。

舉一個極端的例子：

一個小夥子強姦了一個女孩，如果你empathy這小夥子，那麼你應該這樣想：

這小夥子一定是看了很多黃片，裡面的鏡頭太刺激了，太tm刺激了，他實在是按捺不住自己的慾望了，見到一個漂亮女孩頭腦一熱就想不了那麼多了，就把女孩給幹了。

這就是empathy，實際上是站在他的角度對這小夥子進行心理還原，或說親自體驗一把強姦犯強姦之前的心理感受。這跟他的行為合不合理沒有關係。

為什麼會翻成共情。同理心不就好了

https://youtu.be/1Evwgu369Jw

可以翻牆看看，解釋了sympathy和empathy的區別。

在Operation-Meditation 上看到的一篇文章，是我看到的最清晰的答案。

Sympathy – feeling sorry for another』s hurt

Sympathy is feeling sorry for another』s hurt or pain. There is some emotional distance with sympathy – you are not experiencing the pain for yourself, rather you are saying 「Isn』t it sad that this person is having a bad time」. Sometimes sympathy can tip into pity, and that is where some caution is needed. Pity is an emotion that tends to dehumanize and belittle. Most people who have a disability or other challenges will despise being 『pitied』 as pity strips away the rich reality of their human experience and leaves just the difficulty or disability on view. For a deeper relationship and understanding, empathy is needed.

Empathy – walking in another』s shoes

Empathy takes things a little deeper – it is the ability to experience for yourself some of the pain that the other person may be experiencing. It is an acknowledgement of our shared experience as humans and recognition that we all feel grief and loss and pain and fear. You do not need to have experienced exactly the same events as the person who is suffering but you do need to have the ability to really imagine how they must be feeling in their situation. Empathy is a vicarious experience – if your friend is feeling afraid, you too will experience a feeling of fear in your body; if they are sad, you too will feel sorrow. Feeling empathy is allowing yourself to become tuned into another person』s emotional experience. It takes courage to do this but if you have ever experienced real empathy from another when you have been hurting, you will know what a gift it can be.

Compassion – love in action

If empathy is the ability to really experience some of the feelings of pain that another person is feeling, then compassion is to translate that feeling into action. You understand that your friend is feeling worried and stressed with their aging relative in hospital, so you cook the family some dinners and take their children for an afternoon. True compassion reaches out to all people, no matter whether they are your friends or not, and even to all living creatures. It is the ability and willingness to stand alongside someone and to put their needs before your own.

Living a compassionate life can be learned – it is not just something that some 『extra-good』 people are born with. Changing habits takes persistence and practice but it is achievable through the right methods.

Many of the worlds』 wisest people have stated that giving to others in life is the source of the greatest contentment and life satisfaction, so there are many personal benefits to be gained as well.

To bring the power of compassion into your life there are a few things you can do. Firstly, you need to begin to discern the difference and develop your ability to walk in other people』s shoes. Learning to meditate can greatly help develop qualities of empathy and compassion. Meditation helps you access your own inner wise being who is present in your subconscious always, and will allow you to move from living a life for yourself to living a life for others. Bringing to your meditation an image of a person who is having difficulties can give you a transformative experience of real empathy by allowing your subconscious to help you. Meditation can help you become a person of true compassion, and lead to your life feeling deeply fulfilled in a way you could never have imagined.

By Operation-Meditation

同情

對他人（可以有動物）不幸遭遇的感受。

如xxx好可憐，好倒霉。

共情

換位代入。

我如果是xxx,一定很痛苦，很悲傷。

心理諮詢中的共情

一.這是一種很痛苦的感受吧?

從開始很迷茫，懊悔，不敢面對這個現實，到隨著時間的流逝，逐漸面對，並接受了這個事實?

現在還會後悔么?

二.從開始的迷茫，懊悔到現在的接受，樂觀和堅強。面對這種身體和心理上的痛楚，我想這一定是人又一次的破繭重生。

i understand ur feeling/i feel ur feeling