How would you explain the concept of self-awareness / empathy / emotional intelligence to anot

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How would you explain the concept of self-awareness / empathy / emotional intelligence to another person?

Empathy is the ability to understand another person's viewpoint, to recognise and experience their feelings, and to be aware and understanding of their thoughts, from their perspective. When we are empathetic we allow ourselves to understand others and the intentions of others. Empathy requires that we connect with them and allows us to build a relationship with that person therefore empathy is also one of the most important forms of communication. By using empathy we are able to communicate better. Developing an empathic approach allows us to improve our communication skills. We can assume that when we take the time to understand others they will probably take the time to understand us!!

The word empathy was first used by British Psychologist Edward Tichener (1867-1927) in 1909 although it was German Philosopher, Theodor Lipps (1851–1914) who first researched empathy. The word Empathy was derived from the German word Einfulung translated into English as feeling into. Since that time much has been written about empathy by many different authors. The impact of empathy on both individuals and society has been explored. Empathy is vital for effective communication. (Oxley et al, 2011)

It is important to recognise and understand that empathy is not sympathy. While sympathy is sharing other person’s emotions, empathy is listening to and understanding the feelings of that person (Rousseau,P. 2008). While both sympathy and empathy involve personal emotional and feelings, sympathy is, while you may feel pity for another person and their circumstances you may not always understand how they are feeling. Empathy involves the ability ...

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...hinking of Me Thinking of You: Sympathy versus Empathy in the Realist Novel", Victorian Studies, vol. 53, no. 3, pp. 417-426.

Halpern, J. & Ebrary 2001, From detached concern to empathy: humanizing medical practice, Oxford University Press, New York.

Mar, R.A. 2011, "Deconstructing Empathy", Emotion Review, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 113-114.

Oxley, J.C. & Palgrave Macmillan 2011, The moral dimensions of empathy: limits and applications in ethical theory and practice, Palgrave Macmillan Ltd, New York.

Pedersen, P.B., Crethar, H.C. & Carlson, J. 2008, "Affective acceptance: Relating to and understanding ourselves and others" in American Psychological Association, US, pp. 61-91.

Rousseau, P. 2008, "Empathy", The American journal of hospice & palliative care, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 261-262.

Slote, M.A. 2007, ''The ethics of care and empathy'', Routledge, New York. pp 32-37.

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