Empathy and compassion
The words “empathy” and “compassion” are sometimes used as synonyms, but they have different etymological origins that also reflect a different nuance of meaning.
Empathy derives from the Greek ἐν (en) = “within,” and πάθος (páthos) = “feeling,” “passion”. The Greek term ἐμπάθεια (empátheia) originally meant “strong emotional involvement” and could also carry a connotation of intense passion.
Compassion derives from Latin: cum = “with,” patior = “to suffer”, “to endure.” It comes from the Latin noun compassio, which literally means “to suffer together.” The central idea is not simply to understand another person’s emotions, but to share in their pain by participating in it inwardly.
Empathy primarily concerns understanding another person’s emotional sphere, while compassion adds a dimension of emotional closeness and care, which tends to alleviate the other person’s suffering. Although attention to the emotional world and the suffering of others is sometimes viewed as mere pity, the humanities and religions tell us otherwise. Empathy and compassion foster the full development of the individual and the harmonious development of society. To support this assertion, I draw inspiration from the thought of Carl Rogers, the father of humanistic psychology, and from the message of Christian and Buddhist traditions.
Carl Rogers was one of the leading figures in humanistic psychology. He is one of my favorite authors; I have already dedicated four articles to him1 2 3 4. As he pursued his professional career, he gradually came to realize the central importance of the therapist’s attitude toward the patient compared to techniques and schematic diagnoses. Through his extensive experience, he gradually learned that empathy, authenticity, and unconditional acceptance foster any journey aimed at personal growth and overcoming difficulties. This line of thought is based on the conviction that every person has an innate drive toward the full realization of their potential. He initially defined this approach as “client-centered therapy,” and this definition was the first step in a broader development through which Rogers succeeded in applying his “person-centered approach” to relationships among groups, peoples, and nations as well. In his book A Way of Being, Rogers devotes an entire chapter to empathy, which he defined as follows in 19595:
The state of empathy—of being empathetic—is perceiving another person’s inner frame of reference … as if we were a single person … but without ever losing sight of this “as if” condition.
Compassion is a term we tend to associate with the religious sphere. For example, in the Christian tradition, compassion is not limited to feeling the pain of others, but drives us to take action to eliminate suffering. In the Gospels, Jesus’ miracles are often introduced by the phrase “he had compassion” and even in the parable of the Prodigal Son, Luke recounts that “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him, had compassion, and ran to meet him….”
In the Buddhist tradition as well, compassion (karuṇā) is one of the most profound concepts. It is the sincere desire to free others from suffering, and is considered a primary characteristic of the human person, along with courage and wisdom. In Christianity, compassion arises from God’s love, while in Buddhism it arises from wisdom and an understanding of the oneness of all living beings and the universality of the sufferings of birth, illness, old age, and death.
Beyond differences in scope and perspective, Rogers’s vision and the religious message converge toward a truth that each of us naturally perceives as true. I am convinced of this because each of us is surrounded by people who dedicate themselves to the well-being of others, despite a media landscape that tends to make us perceive the world as an environment dominated by cynicism, anger, violence, and oppression.
Where there is empathy and compassion, people are able to reach their full potential. This is true for any group of people, for a family, for a community, for a nation, and for the entire world.
You can send your comment to info@esperienzedivalore.it, I will be happy to respond.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
- The book “A way of being” by Carl Rogers ↩︎
- Thoughts on youth by Carl Rogers and Daisaku Ikeda ↩︎
- Carl Rogers, Julio Velasco and authenticity ↩︎
- Il libro “On becoming a person” di Carl Rogers ↩︎
- “Un modo di essere”, Carl Rogers, Giunti Psychometrics S.r.l., pp. 148-149 ↩︎