To an everyday person these two words may seem like they mean the same thing, I mean literally the only thing that changes is the 'Sy' to an 'E' right? But in the world of child life these two concepts could not be anymore different and it's really important to be able to distinguish between them.
Empathy (noun) em-pa-thy|\'em-pe-thē\
1. The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.
Sympathy (noun) sym-pa-thy|\'sim-pe-thē\
1. The act or capacity of entering into or sharing the feelings or interests of another.
In the professional world of the hospital it's important to be able to sympathize with patients and families, but even better is the ability to empathize. The difference between these two things is easy to see when you compare simple statements: "I'm so sorry for your loss" vs. "I sense that you're hurting. What do you need right now?" The first shows that we feel for the person, but that's all we're doing. The second statement shows that we are right there in the moment with that person and offering to stay in that moment with them. I think some of my own personal best moments of demonstrating this have been times of complete silence. Can you sit with someone in quiet contemplation to allow them the space to actually feel? Or do you feel the need to "fix" it?
It's important to be able to pick up on how people are feeling and experiencing things so that we can help them through it. The tricky part with this though is not blurring professional boundary lines or letting it take a toll on our own self-care. There is a difference in being able to feel with patients/families and actually taking on those emotions for ourselves. It's okay to be empathetic with a family while you are with them, but taking those emotions with you when you leave the room is not okay. Think along the lines of 'Whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.'
The point I'm making is this: if you can choose between being sympathetic or empathetic, choose to be empathetic. But,
don't go to far.
-K
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