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Affective vs. Cognitive Empathy

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RazorEddie
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14 Mar 2012, 2:43 pm

Well, I said I didn't have much affective empathy so why am I confused?


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fraac
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14 Mar 2012, 2:46 pm

Oh, okay. I queried your definition of cognitive empathy as sympathy rather than the ability for sympathy.



RazorEddie
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14 Mar 2012, 3:15 pm

I see. I used the word 'sympathy' because that is what was used on the test. From Wikipedia's definition of sympathy:

Quote:
Sympathy has been defined as a person's awareness of the feelings of another, but not absorption in the feelings themselves.


Is that not the same as cognitive empathy?


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pensieve
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14 Mar 2012, 7:00 pm

I have affective empathy when watching my favourite characters and I do feel it around my family at times, but I still can't show it. When I watch the news I could ball into tears because I really feel for world issues.

I do have moments of cognitive empathy too.

It's like I have both but have dysfunctions in both too.


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fraac
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14 Mar 2012, 7:18 pm

RazorEddie wrote:
I see. I used the word 'sympathy' because that is what was used on the test. From Wikipedia's definition of sympathy:
Quote:
Sympathy has been defined as a person's awareness of the feelings of another, but not absorption in the feelings themselves.


Is that not the same as cognitive empathy?


Yes. I was thinking of 'sympathy' as something expressed.