Empathic concern
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Empathic concern refers to other-oriented emotions elicited by, and congruent with the perceived welfare of, someone in need.[1] These other-oriented emotions include feelings of tenderness, sympathy, compassion and soft-heartedness.
Empathic concern is often confused with empathy. To empathize is to respond to another's perceived emotional state by experiencing feeling of a similar sort. Empathic concern or sympathy includes not only empathizing, but also having a positive regard or a non-fleeting concern for the other person.[2]