Week 114: The "problem" with empathy

In this episode, I talk about the "problem" with empathy, starting by definine compassion, pity, empathy, and sympathy (2 sets of near enemies), using Brene Brown's definitions from her book, Atlas of the Heart. I talk about the 2 different kinds of empathy (cognitive empathy, the "good" kind, and affective empathy, the "bad" kind) and give a practical example of all 4 of these emotions/concepts and how we would ideally use these concepts to help others (and why). Action item: When helping others, especially with emotional issues, try to ground yourself to feel cognitive empathy rather than affective empathy.