Empathy vs Sympathy: Which Are You Looking For From Your Partner?: Episode 288
EmPowered Couples with The Freemans
Aaron & Jocelyn Freeman
5.0 • 589 Ratings
🗓️ 2 May 2023
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Do you ever feel that your partner just doesn't understand and that they just don't empathize with what you are feeling? This is a big topic for many couples. A key element of a great relationship is that you can be going through a difficult time (even if caused by your partner) and you have a partner that can be comforting and compassionate to be on your side as you go through it.
In this episode you will hear the difference between empathy and sympathy so that you can better understand which you are actually needing from them. Then you will hear some of the blocks to showing empathy and sympathy and a few steps to better demonstrate that in your relationship.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to the Empower Couples podcast. |
| 0:03.0 | We're here you get modern, non-boring relationship advice for you and your partner to communicate like pros, fight smarter, and stay in the same team no matter the challenge that you face. |
| 0:13.6 | I am one of your host, Aaron Freeman. |
| 0:15.2 | And I'm Jocelyn Freeman, but you just know us as the Freeman's. |
| 0:18.1 | And this episode is a powerful one. |
| 0:20.4 | It's the difference between empathy and sympathy, which we haven't even been doing a good job |
| 0:27.0 | of with each other this morning. |
| 0:28.3 | This morning. |
| 0:29.2 | This is often how podcasts can go for us. |
| 0:32.7 | So there's definitely something for us to learn as we share this with you all because |
| 0:37.4 | what is it you're |
| 0:39.0 | actually looking for from your partner? |
| 0:41.3 | That's really where we want to go today because empathy and sympathy is kind of misunderstood. |
| 0:46.7 | There is a certain care or compassion or understanding that you're looking for from your partner, |
| 0:52.8 | but really which is it? And then we'll |
| 0:54.9 | go into what blocks that? And then what are some steps you can take to allow for the one you |
| 1:00.3 | actually need? And when Aaron says we haven't been doing great at that this morning, literally just a |
| 1:05.2 | few minutes ago as we were reviewing the content, we were not empathizing or sympathizing with each other at all. And the reason |
| 1:13.4 | we share that is number one to again remind you, we are human, even though we teach these principles, |
| 1:18.7 | we study them, we everything, we still are human. And that's the thing. Empathy and sympathy, |
| 1:25.4 | as we talk about each one, they aren't just automatically |
| 1:28.6 | there. And even though we have the capacity for these as human beings, we actually have to |
... |
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