Misunderstand Sympathy And Empathy

You are correct to say many people misunderstand sympathy and empathy, and because of that they feel the two words are interchangeable. Even though both words deal with feelings and emotions, they are in fact different. Sympathy is having a genuine concern for someone is going through a tragedy or crisis. However, empathy is when you can relate to that person’s feeling because you have experience a similar tragedy or crisis. It is important for human service professional to understand the difference so that will be able to provide the necessary treatment without being overwhelmed with emotions.