The tendency to empathy. Empathy or listening to the heart

Empathy is a conscious empathy for another person in his emotional state. Therefore, empath is a person who has developed the ability to empathize. The development of empathy has a significant place in the development of emotional intelligence. It helps to know the emotional state of a person, while focusing on gestures and facial expressions.

With the help of empathy, empathy makes it possible to understand the emotions of the interlocutor. She is desirable to own those people who use communication in their work. For example, these are educators, psychologists, educators, managers, and doctors. Scientists note that the stage of development of emotional empathy ends in childhood. Fear is destructive for conscious empathy.

Empaths do not feel comfortable in a conflict situation, they are not characterized by rivalry, as well as upholding their interests, more often they move aside. Empaths cannot easily get rid of fear, because they are very patient and seek their own ways to correct this condition. In the absence of the ability to cope with fear, he is able to accompany a person all his life, which will provoke further panic attacks.

Empathy and sympathy are interconnected. We are drawn to people who understand us well, and push those who are not able to understand us. Each person purposefully wants to see people around him who will understand, and accept him for who he is.

Empathy development

There are several levels of empathy and learning to develop conscious empathy is possible, but very difficult for those who did not own it before. It is impossible to turn the world around and change in an instant, starting to feel everything. For this, enough time is needed to change beliefs and to master conscious empathy.

Feeling empathy is not a matter of simple feelings and feelings. This is a complete understanding, as well as an awareness of the sensations as if occurring with you. Features of emotional empathy are the feeling of the subtle world of a completely alien life.

Empathy development involves several levels. The first level is marked by the ability to highlight emotional gestures, notes. The tone of voice can tell what state a person is in and how he feels. This level shows the ability to accurately focus on the emotional state of a person.

Understanding empathy involves shifting the sensory world of sensations onto oneself. This is hard to learn. To do this, you need to study the facial expressions, body movement, timbre of the voice. Start practicing on acquaintances, friends, first comers. Notice any little things: hair on the jacket, sloppy, makeup on the face, hairstyle. This can tell a lot about a person. Master this skill.

The second level of training includes the possession of certain skills. This level is more difficult, it is important for students to shift habits, sensations, body movements, and the timbre of the voice of the object you need to feel. For an easier implementation of the image requires a strong emotional reaction. It is important to carefully observe the person, to imagine that you are him. Having merged with him completely, you can predict ahead of time what he will do. You can live his life without thinking or judging what is wrong. You will become one with him and will experience the same emotions as him: love, pain, disappointment. This is hard to learn, but possible. Empath over time perceives the feelings of another person as his own. But these feelings are different.

The third level of training allows you to turn into a real empathy. Empaths are able not only to feel other people's experiences, they know how to manage this state. The first possibility is the ability to get oneself out of a negative state quickly. The second comes down to the ability to deduce from the negative state of the interlocutor. Empath is able to influence emotions.

The development of empathy makes it possible to communicate with people with ease and understanding. There are pluses as well as minuses with the development of empathy. On the one hand, a person begins to understand people, and on the other hand, he turns into a more sensitive person, who is hard to resist in the conflict situations to the interlocutor.

Empathy level

Being a diverse concept, empathy has many levels within itself.

The first level of empathy is the lowest. People at this level are focused on themselves; they are indifferent to the thoughts and feelings of other people. They rarely understand others and have difficulty establishing contacts, they feel embarrassed in a big unfamiliar company. The emotional manifestations of such people seem incomprehensible, as well as meaningless. With a low level of empathy, people prefer solitary pursuits, bypassing teamwork. Representatives of a low level of empathy advocate accurate formulations, as well as rational decisions. Such people have few friends, and those that are have a clear mind and business qualities, rather than sensitivity and responsiveness. People respond to such people the same. Such people feel estranged, because others do not pamper them with their attention. With a very low level of emotional empathy, a person finds it difficult to speak first, keeps himself apart among colleagues. Often, it is very difficult for him to contact with children, as well as older people. In interpersonal relationships, an empath is often in an awkward position, often does not find mutual understanding with others, he loves thrills, art. Painfully tolerates criticism, but is able to not respond to it.

The second level of empathy is the most common. Most people are indifferent to the thoughts and feelings of others, and only in rare cases show empathy. This level is common to most people. Surrounding people do not call them pachyderms, however, they are not classified as especially sensitive. The manifestations of emotions are not alien to such people, but in most cases they are in control. In communication, they are often attentive, trying to understand a lot, but sometimes they lose patience. More often they prefer to delicately keep silent, because they are not sure that they will be understood. When reading fiction, as well as watching films, they are interested in actions, not the experiences of the characters. Such people are not characterized by looseness of feelings, which interferes with the full perception of people.

The third level of empathy is the highest. There are quite a few people with this level of empathy. These people tend to understand strangers better than themselves. They make true loyal friends. Such people are sensitive to the problems and needs of others, very generous, able to forgive a lot. Always interested in people. Such people are emotionally responsive, quickly make contact, and are very sociable. Colleagues and others appreciate such soulfulness. People with the third level of empathy do not allow conflicts and always find compromise solutions, adequately tolerate criticism. When assessing a situation, they trust their feelings and intuition more. They prefer to work with the team, rather than alone. People with a third level always want social approval of their actions. However, such people are not always accurate when performing accurate as well as painstaking work. They are easy enough to keep out of balance.

Types of Empathy

Empaths are classified into the following types: non-empathy, weak empathy, functional empathy, professional empathy.

Not empaths completely closed their sensual abilities. Perhaps the manifestation of empathy atrophied, because they never used this ability. Empathy is unfamiliar to such people, and they don’t even try to recognize him. They are not able to recognize non-verbal and verbal signals.

Weak empaths are in a state of constant stress, experiencing the severity of the world, other people's problems, fears due to emotional overload. Often, weak empaths are physically quickly exhausted, experiencing headaches.

Functional empaths are the most developed, they easily adapt to emotions, control them without passing through themselves. This is a rare skill. Outwardly, functional empaths do not stand out from ordinary people.

Professional empaths can easily recognize any emotions, even the most complex, hidden in the depths of the soul. Professional empaths manage other people's emotions well. There are very few such people. They have the ability to relieve pain, cheer up.

Diagnosis of empathy

Diagnosis of empathy helps to determine what qualities of empathy a person predominates. This test is important in the selection of personnel whose professional activities are related to communicating with people. To study empathy, you can use the methodology “Scale of emotional response”. The test was developed by professor of psychology A. Megrabyan.

The methodology “Scale of emotional response” makes it possible to analyze the general features of empathy in the test person. For example, the ability to empathize with another person.

Empathy in children

Through empathy, children gain experience in studying themselves and other people who surround them. The child gradually accumulates sensory experience.

Empathy in children directly depends on the formation of empathy in parents. If parents have well-formed the above feelings, then their children will have a normal manifestation of empathy. It develops well in that child who received love and warmth from his parents. Thanks to parents, altruism can be well developed in children, because the formation of altruism originates in the family.

Compassion, sympathy is not only the spiritual development of the child, but also a method of studying the relationship between people. Relying on these feelings, children look at the people around them and try to find their own experiences in them. Thus, the upbringing of empathy rests entirely with the parents.

Empathy in adolescents

From the moment of birth, parents and family have a great influence on human development. The family is an important component in the development of human life. In the development of empathy, the communication of children with parents plays a huge role. A teenager cannot independently learn to empathize due to lack of experience. He still does not know the feeling of pain. The development of empathy in adolescents manifests itself in the lives of those children who were able to give love and care, and attention, and warmth in the family.

Empathy in adolescents is possible when parents understood the feelings and emotions of their children. Disruption of contact with parents injures the psyche of a teenager, negatively manifests itself in its development. To have emotional empathy means to perceive another person’s world, his pain and happiness. A family that is based on trusting feelings is aimed at the harmonious development of the personality of adolescents. Therefore, it is worth considering that family relations should always remain friendly.

Do you perceive other people very closely, as if your own? You may have aroused empathy! Find out how to check it out!

What is empathy and how does it occur?

Empathy (empathy) ¹ - the ability to subtly feel the emotions of the other as their own. People who can do this are called empaths. Empath is one who feels the emotions and feelings of others. Empathy is sometimes accompanied by ability.

Naturally, people acquire this ability in two cases:

1. They are born empaths.

2. This gift awakens on its own during growing up and socialization.

Empathy is a great gift if you know how to use it correctly. Not all empaths are able to control the ability consciously - in most cases this happens unconsciously.

Many people sometimes “catch” the sensations of other people. In most cases, the gift of empathy is not recognized: by the logical mind, such manifestations are explained as ordinary psychology or spontaneous NLP².

Signs of Super Ability

If something like this happened in your life, and you suddenly felt unusual emotions for yourself, it is quite possible that it was a feeling received from another person - empathy is manifested!

Until you learn to manage and control this, you will absorb other people's emotions and experience them as your own.

There are several signs that a person is an empath:

1. Empathists feel the suffering in the world on a large scale and want to somehow help the world.

2. It is difficult for them to look at someone else's pain, because it feels like its own.

3. It’s hard for people with this ability to watch disturbing news: they feel all the suffering and then they can’trecover.

For example, it is enough to watch a news report about a disaster or some kind of disaster anywhere in the world, and such a person can feel pain (psychological, and sometimes physical) from this event.

4. Empaths find it difficult to find themselves and fully realize their own feelings.

For example, during a conversation with another person, people with the gift of empathyfeel his emotions and feelings. Often, they know the answers to their vital questions, but at the same time do not find the answer to theirs.

5. Often empathy can make a person shy, because he knows very well what the other feels and what he wants.

6. If a person does not know how to control his ability, he may lose critical perception. Such people always say “yes” to all requests and requirements, without thinking about whether they need it, whether they really want it.

Empath is so immersed in the experience of another person, knowing what he needs, that he can not say no. And only then he realizes that he did not think about himself and his desires.

7. People with empathy help others at their own expense.

8. Empaths love at a distance just as if a loved one was nearby.

9. They feel a deep intimacy with nature, animals and plants.

Such people are able to feel not only people, but also animals, for example, meeting a dog or a cat on the street.

10. Empath feels responsible for what other people feel, trying to help them feel better.

11. Such people are very sensitive: relationships and friendships may be taken too close to the heart.

12. Because of empathy and inability to manage it, they often become an outlet for other people to dump their emotions on them.

13. While reading a book or watching a movie, an empath is very emotionally experiencing events, is almost completely identified with the characters.

14. Because of the constant load, people with this gift forget what it means to have fun and enjoy life.

15. Empathy, usually deeply spiritual people: the gift of empathyallows you to feel the unity of all being.

If you are close to many of the above signs, it means that you have the ability to empathy!

Answer the following questions:

Can you control this gift?
Are you able to share your own and others' experiences?
Are you able to manage your gift, “including” it only when you need it?

If you answered yes, then you yourself learned to control your gift of empathy; otherwise, you need to learn how to manage empathy: in the notes to this article there is a link to useful material on developing control over empathy.

Notes and feature articles for a deeper understanding of the material.

¹ Empathy - a conscious empathy with another person’s current emotional state without losing the feeling of the external origin of this experience (Wikipedia).

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It is very important for a person to become happy, to live surrounded by loving and understanding people. In order to feel the harmony and happiness of life, you need to be able to compassion, understand other people. The amazing feeling that gives this opportunity is called empathy.

Explaining what empathy is, the definition of this gift can be given, armed with knowledge of the Greek language. In Greek, “empathy” means “compassion, empathy.” Simply put, an empathic person subtly perceives the feelings and emotions of others, he knows how to deeply sympathize with people. In this case, the empath does not lose control of his own feelings.

Empathy - the ability to feel others

Empathy is a unique ability, it is not given to every person. For the first time this term was introduced into scientific use by the famous psychotherapist Edward Titchner. Scientists have developed a scale for determining the level of empathy in people, the principles of its classification. His developments are used in modern psychology.

According to psychologists, now a pressing problem of empathy is becoming an urgent problem in modern society. Leading specialist in psychology Douglas Labir even introduced the definition of SDE (empathy deficiency syndrome).

This magical ability has many classifications and types. Empathy can exist in a pure (classical) form, or it can include a variety of additional aspects.

Emotions of strangers as own

Empathy is a person’s ability to subtly perceive other people's troubles. She never found a rational explanation. Empathic perception does not depend on the intellectual level, human education. Most scientists are inclined to believe that empathy is a gene-transmitted ability.

What is empathy

This skill is an important addition to the professional activities of many specialists:

psychoanalysts get a complete picture of the mental and emotional state of the patient;
empathy is an important lever for psychologists to understand and to accurately identify problematic conditions;
for criminologists, such a gift helps bit by bit to collect the smallest nuances about the thoughts and feelings of the victim / criminal;
doctors can evaluate how ready the patient is for medical manipulations and how effectively the patient responds to treatment;

Empathic ability is considered not only important, but also a necessary quality for people. This is especially true for those whose work is directly related to communication: teachers, educators, managers, agents, executives, sellers, cosmetologists, stylists.

How empathy is born

Note that a person subtly perceives the feelings of others, you can already in early childhood. Little empaths:

Too actively react to any manifestation of parental emotions. To quarrels, the increased timbre of the voice responds with crying.
Somatic problems are also manifested: the face in babies turns red, the heart begins to beat more often, there is increased sweating.

Scientists note that empathy babies often appear in families where parents show great attention to the feelings of other people. Congenital empathy may fade over time or become stronger and more pronounced. Strengthen the ability to feel helps a warm, trusting atmosphere in the family, competent education based on caring for others.

What determines the ability to empathize

Empathy in psychology is a complex science, based on the initial sincere disposition to the interlocutor, the desire to understand and listen to him. A number of other personal qualities (character, level of education, intelligence) also affect the empathic gift:

Such qualities as pedantry, rigor, dryness interfere with the full manifestation of empathic abilities.
If a person has egocentrism (focusing on his own person), empathy is unfamiliar to him.
The insufficiently high level of intelligence prevents the empathy from adequately assessing the situation. Such a person will incorrectly justify the feelings of the interlocutor.

More often, individuals with a high threshold of intellectual and spiritual development are prone to manifestations of true, deep empathy. Such people know how to come into close contact with the emotions of others, passing them through themselves. They are intuitively aware of the thoughts tormenting the interlocutors, and adequately assess the emotional states of their opponents.

In addition to the ability to empathize and subtly feel the emotions of others, empaths can also clearly perceive exciting situations from books, movies, theatrical productions.

Is it good to be an empath?

Having learned what empathy is, many people seek to develop such abilities in themselves. But do not rush into the pool with your head. Empathy is an important skill, but it must be used correctly. Many gift holders suffer from it. Indeed, for empaths it is extremely important to have a strong will and a strong, mature character. Otherwise, to cope with the influx of other people's emotions becomes an impossible task.

After all, in addition to invaluable advantages:

ability to help family and friends;
resolution of any conflict situations;
inability to be deceived and to be deceived;
excellent prospects for professionalism.

Empathy has negative sides, the reverse side of the coin. The disadvantages of this ability include:

frequent feeling of emptiness;
risk of developing mental disorders;
rapid emotional "burnout";
lack of reciprocity, which adds unnecessary experiences;
a heightened perception of moral pain that empaths cannot resist.

Features manifestations of empathic tendencies are individual. They depend on the level and type of gift to which a certain person is inclined.

Types of Empathic Abilities

Among specialists there is a developed classification that defines categories, forms and degrees of empathic abilities. Designed a graduation by Carl Ransom Rogers (American educator and psychologist).

The main categories of empathy

Empathy Categories

According to the psychological classification, empathic gift is divided into three types:

Emotional. An emotionally empathic person is a person who very closely perceives other people's experiences. They literally pass them through themselves, taking the pain of the interlocutor as their own. At any time, they respond to the trouble of strangers and always come to the rescue.

Emotional empathy is the most common, it is on it that friendly and understanding relationships are built.

Cognitive. A gift of this level is built on the ability to analyze the information received. Cognitive empathy first conducts a comparative characterization, analyzing their own thoughts and thoughts of opponents.

Such people not only subtly perceive and feel the emotions of the interlocutors, but also connect their own intelligence in order to thoroughly analyze the events. Their important task is to realize and fully understand. This type of empathy is observed in scientific disputes and discussions.

Predicative. "Predicate" means "a certain statement about a particular subject." This level of empathic ability is based on the ability to predict the behavior and feelings of opponents on an intuitive level. Such manifestations are more clearly observed in any conflict situations and quarrels. Predictive empathy knows how to put itself in the place of the interlocutor and understand his experiences “from the inside”, not contemplating, but penetrating deep into.

All categories of empathic abilities are observed in each person, to one degree or another. The level of their development depends on the nature of the personality, temperamental characteristics and the development of brain activity.

Empathic Forms

In empathy, psychologists also distinguish between two separate types of empathic state:

Sympathy. The ability that is formed on the appearance of a personal sensual attitude to an event occurring with an opponent.
Empathy. Empathic empathy is based on the emergence in the empathy of persistent emotions, such as those experienced by the interlocutor.

How different forms of empathy manifest themselves can be understood by observing the reaction of empathy. For example, if during an interview an opponent begins to worry to tears, provoking response tears in an empathic person - this is the ability to empathize.

With sympathy, an empathic person begins to show their own sound emotions similar to those experienced by the interlocutor.

Empathy Development Levels

Among psychologists, there are certain tests that help to identify the degree of development of empathic abilities. There are four levels:

High (affective). This level is characterized by an increased ability to fully penetrate and feel the feelings of others. Empath is so “accustomed” to the opponent’s problems that he ceases to distinguish his misfortunes from strangers.

If the empathic person does not have a strong enough, tough character, affective empathy can provoke him mental and personal problems.

Such individuals often suffer from overly developed sensibility, vulnerability. They have ultra-fine mental organization. If empaths are able to cope with the flows of other people's troubles, in the professional sphere they achieve high skill.

The main rule of empathy

Elevated. Empaths of this level of development perceive someone else's pain and emotions without much harm to themselves. They show a sincere interest in the problems of the interlocutor, but keep some delicate distance. Such personalities are communicative, social, they can easily find a common language with any person.

Normal. The most common level of empathic ability. It is manifested by a good, innate gift of understanding the problems of strangers. Such a person is not indifferent to other people's troubles and is responsive to help. Empathy has increased participation in troubles and problems on close and dear people than on outsiders.

Low. There are people who completely lack a sense of empathy. These individuals are also called "anti-empaths." They do not differ in flexible thinking and are not able to look at the problem from the side. They will not be forced to take the opponent’s position if it differs from their own.

Anti-empaths are wholly focused on personal life and problems; among outsiders, they experience some discomfort. These are bright egocentric introverts with a narrow circle of communication and expressed problems in the ability to communicate with others.

How to become an empath

Can congenital empathic abilities be developed? According to psychologists, empathy can be trained and improved (subject to the availability of such a gift). Various trainings and specially designed exercises for the development of attentiveness will help in this..

How to develop empathy

Especially good helpers in the training of empathic abilities are artistic sketches. These include:

face memorization training;
the exercise of looking at oneself from the side;
transformation into other people, animals, birds, insects.

Empathy is promoted by associative games, dances, watching good exciting films, listening to music. Develop your own emotionality, and empathy will come with it. But, before becoming an empathy, determine for yourself whether you really need such an ability and whether you can manage it.

One of the main destinations of a person in life is to be happy, and full-fledged happiness is impossible without compassion. What is empathy, do you have it, and if not, can you get it?

Empathy. What it is

The ability of a person to experience emotional feelings similar to the feelings of the interlocutor is called empathy.

In the modern science of psychology, the meaning of this word is interpreted as the ability to understand the internal state of another person, to join the emotional life of another, sharing his experiences.

Empathy is an understanding of the needs and feelings of those around you on an unconscious level.

The first to use this concept is the American Edward Titchner.

Types and Levels

In psychology, many tests have been developed that determine the level of empathy and the diagnosis of its type.

Levels

Elevated the level is characterized by pronounced empathy. A person is not able to separate his problems and feelings from the problems of loved ones, and sometimes completely strangers. Psychologists in this case speak of an affective level of empathy. Signs of empathic empathic type: too strong emotional vulnerability, impressionability, causeless guilt.

Normal the level is inherent in the majority of the population. They try to keep emotions under control and do not show them to outsiders.
Low the level is characterized by an inability to empathize and to accept other points of view. The actions of people based on emotions are considered by the anti-empath to be meaningless. As a result, serious difficulties arise in contact with others.

Kinds

In connection with the development of the level of empathy, people are divided into four types:

Psychology of Empathic Communication

Empathy is a very effective tool for communication between people. Like any toolkit, it is important to be able to apply it in life. Someone is helped by intuition in this, and some people have to learn to represent themselves in the place of another to achieve success in life.

Sensuality and age

Even infants have some empathic reactions: if one baby begins to cry, then the children nearby are supporting him in unison. Young children are naughty or sad if someone in the household has a problem.

But the conditions of education play a role in the formation of abilities, they either dull or favor the development of empathy.

Usually, the capacity for empathy nevertheless increases with the accumulation of life experience. But there are exceptions. Especially frightening is the low level of empathy in adolescents, when a person is no longer a child, but also not an adult, thinking about the legal consequences of his actions.

Development factors

There are a number of factors that allow you to develop the ability for empathy in a person:

How it helps in life

People with a high level of empathy are friendly and sociable, they do not blame others for adverse events, do not require heavy penalties for misconduct. Such people achieve much greater success in life than those who constantly blame others and are inclined to see "a mote in the eye." People with a low level of empathy are unfriendly, withdrawn and more aggressive.
Empathy in communication is useful for mutual understanding. This creates favorable relations for dialogue, joint decisions in any, even in a conflict situation.
Empathy will help not only in real life, but also in art: the actor to get used to the role, the director or writer - to convey his thoughts to the viewer or reader, and the viewer or reader to understand the work of art and the author’s thought, thereby enriching his spiritual essence and life experience.

Elevated level

People with a hypertrophic level of empathy are constantly overwhelmed by a sea of \u200b\u200bfeelings in relation to others. They do not know how to control their sensual ability, it takes on painful forms. Empaths often “tear their hearts” over other people's problems.

Being such a person is amazing, as you can understand the other as yourself. But this is a huge responsibility for your own health. One must learn to control this feeling.

Here are a few rules that will help you not waste life energy:

Each person has his own life choice. If a person himself does not want to save himself, then the empathy does not need to think about it.
Empath should not be an emotional healer. He should accept the feelings of another person as they are, and not try to constantly intervene, especially if he is not asked about it by the "sick person".
To calm down and establish spiritual harmony, it is useful to meditate.
Do not try to be friends with everyone. If a person causes negative emotions or a depressed state, you just need to distance yourself from that person.

An empath must necessarily fall in love with himself for who he is, and not take upon himself "guilt for the whole world."

Development exercises

A reduced level of empathy is perhaps even worse than an increased one. Many psychologists state that empathy is an innate property. But special training will help to more accurately perceive the interlocutor and tune with him on the same emotional wave.

learn to understand yourself - This is the first step for an adequate perception of others;
learn to manage not only by their actions, but also by their own thoughts and feelings;
learn to understand feelings, and then other people's thoughts.

For this, psychologists recommend special exercises in a group where all participants copy facial expressions, gestures and the voice of the interlocutor. Here are a few examples of such exercises.

Exercise 1. Guess the feeling

Participants are given assignments that indicate the names of different feelings. Everyone should portray the indicated feeling with facial expressions. Everyone else is trying to guess.

Exercise 2. Mirror and Monkey

Participants are divided into pairs, in which one will be a mirror and the other a monkey. The “monkey” with facial expressions and pantomime depicts everything that it wants, and the “mirror” should copy all gestures.

After 5 minutes, “monkey” and “mirror” change roles, then observers evaluate who was the best in this game.

Exercise 3. Phone

The participant receives a secret task to talk on the phone with an imaginary interlocutor (boss, son or wife). The whole conversation is pantomime, everyone else is trying to guess who the main participant is “talking to”.

Countless exercises have been developed. You can come up with your own variations. The main thing is that such exercises cannot be carried out on their own, other participants are needed who serve as something like a “simulator for empathy development”.

Empathy not only forms a worthy, pleasant person in communication and a humane society, but also affects the very specific achievements of a person in his social and personal life.

Video: Empathy and Sympathy

Empathy - a rare ability, consisting in an unusually subtle comprehension of the feelings and emotions of another person, usually an interlocutor. Also, this concept includes many additional aspects: this is the ability to put oneself in a strange place, and a tendency to empathy, and the ability to feel someone else's mood.

Perhaps, for the most part, this is a personality trait of a human character, rather than a psychological characteristic.

Psychological works and treatises on this topic have been written for more than a decade. Almost all eminent psychologists and psychotherapists took part in the development of this issue, including Sigmund Freud, known to everyone. He argued that possessing empathy includes not only a subjective understanding of an alien world, but also the ability to feel all emotions (both positive and negative) from the point of view of another person.

Level of empathy.

Empathic abilities are rarely congenital. Most often, individuals acquire them along with ever-increasing experience. Empathy most often causes several response options. A person possessing this gift can simultaneously sympathize, empathize and experience an irresistible sympathy for an individual with whom he now has an emotional connection.

Empathy levels Is a fairly relative concept. However, the Internet is replete with tests offering to find out the presence of this characteristic online. Most often, the creators of sites offer to determine at what level of emotional intelligence you are and divide empaths into 5 groups:

the first group does not recognize itself as an empathy. They feel emotions and experiences, but they identify with them, and not some other person;
the second group is aware of what they are capable of, but do not fully understand their capabilities and the nature of this skill;
the third group uses its abilities quite clearly, tuning in to any person whose inner world is of interest.
the fourth group knows how to control all possible emotions and gradually learns to control their “victims” in this way;
and the fifth group mastered empathic abilities to the full, learning not only to share their feelings with the emotions of other people, but also gaining control over other personalities.

At the moment, empathy is divided into several types:

Emotional (it is based on the imitation of the motor reactions of another person).
Cognitive (based on intellectual processes).
Predicative (manifested as the ability to predict the reactions of another).

More-less empathy subject to each of us, to say the least: necessary. It is needed by people whose professions are directly related to communication: psychologists, managers, managers and many others.

Empathy development.

Not a small fraction of people are ready to give a lot, if only to develop empathic abilities in themselves. Experts argue that this is quite possible and recommend a number of game exercises:

Active listening. Learn (or teach) to listen to the interlocutor and ask questions that would help him more fully reveal the topic that has been put forward. Also, a useful skill will be the ability to share your impressions of what you have heard (eg: “It was very painful for me to hear your story”).
Exercise "Shelter". To do this, you need to sit in a chair, relax as much as possible (close your eyes and take a comfortable pose) and imagine your ideal refuge. Its forms may vary dramatically. For some, this is the house in which he was born and raised, and for some, a hut in the forest where no one will find him. Such fantasies will greatly relieve emotional stress and allow you to "lose" excess weight.
Speaking. The ability to praise others is an important component of all training. You need to start with at least a few flattering compliments a day, because soon enough it will become a habit, and you will begin to find real reasons for pride in your surroundings.
Analysis of their behavior. Someone considers this a meaningless reflection, and someone a productive analysis of the actions performed. To do this, you can keep a diary, or simply devote several minutes daily to a frank conversation with yourself.

It is worth considering that the older the person, the more difficult it is for him to develop in himself empathy, since the experience you have experienced does not always allow you to objectively evaluate others.

Also, remember that acquired ability to empathy can easily be destroyed by fear alone. It is authentically known that empathy try to avoid conflict situations, protecting themselves and others from quarrels and disputes. However, if this fails, sensitive people begin to suffer from panic attacks and look for ways to correct their thinking, which fundamentally destroys all their abilities.