Sympathy vs. Empathy

          Through the feelings of others, empathy is the intellectual action and vicarious experience of the thoughts and attitudes of another. Empathy differs from sympathy through opposing the sympathetic diction of full pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune. From Choices Under Fire written by Dr. Bess, many examples of empathy are previewed into the surreal actions and requirements of the study of "disruptive empathy." During the experiment, of giving high voltages of electrical shocks, 60% of subjects went through the entire experiment of death level energy even though the "student" was acting. The thought of many of these subjects following through just because the leader told them to "continue" is a prime example of empathy. An electrician was soon in the position, and because he knew how bad the shocks would've hurt them, he did not continue with the experiment. This parallels to the key skill of knowing how to empathize to be able to make since of the past. You may not have the true experience of some of the scenarios, but you will be linear with all of the decisions, and the decision making process.

     
                                                              Studies from Emory