{"id":56300,"date":"2022-05-25T20:08:43","date_gmt":"2022-05-26T03:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.creativecircle.com\/?p=56300"},"modified":"2022-05-25T20:08:43","modified_gmt":"2022-05-26T03:08:43","slug":"the-empathy-imperative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.creativecircle.com\/blog\/the-empathy-imperative\/","title":{"rendered":"The Empathy Imperative"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you lucky enough to have one, perhaps several people you can turn to when you want to hash out a<\/span> concern? Chances are these <\/span>companions<\/span> engage<\/span> with you easily and completely. They listen intently, care about what you\u2019re saying<\/span>,<\/span> and respond objectively, yet keyed to who you are and your needs. What a blessing. They have a certain knack, a gift to be treasured. It\u2019s called \u201cempathy.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Empathy is \u201c<\/span>both a trait and a skill<\/span><\/a>.\u201d An all-encompassing way of being, of interacting with the world, it\u2019s an always-on mindset that functions across all facets of our lives.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are many dimensions of empathy. And there are just as many, if not more, benefits to individuals and companies alike in embracing and strengthening this capability, especially now. This post sets it all out.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s in this Word \u2014 Empathy?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>
\nMerriam-Webster<\/span><\/a> defines empathy as \u201cthe action of [or capacity for] understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t confuse empathy with sympathy, advises this same source. They\u2019re not the same. Sympathy \u201cimplies sharing (or having the capacity to share) the feelings of another.\u201d Empathy is different. It is \u201cimagining, or having the capacity to imagine, feelings that one does not actually have.\u201d The distinction: <\/span>Empathy<\/span><\/a> \u201cis the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view, and imagine yourself in their place. Essentially it is putting yourself in someone else\u2019s position and feeling what they must be feeling.\u201d Empathy gives you the capability \u201cto walk a mile in another\u2019s shoes.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Empathy is broad and complex. To depict this concept, two psychologists deconstructed it into <\/span>three main stages<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>Think of this roadmap as a hierarchical set of blocks that builds on one another to illustrate how empathy works:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n