Empathy refers to the ability to put yourself in the shoes of another person in order to understand the nature of his feelings and emotions. The ability to empathize is somewhat the opposite of selfishness. You can consciously work on the development of this ability, conscious empathy in psychology is called empathy.
Instructions
Step 1
Taking the place of another person, you can understand why he is happy or sad. The main clue is given by facial expressions and gestures, that is, non-verbal signals. A person's words can deceive and mask true feelings and emotions, but non-verbal metrics will never lie. It is especially important to develop the ability to empathize with representatives of those professions that involve constant communication with people.
Step 2
People with a developed ability to empathize are usually non-conflicting, avoid rivalry. People are drawn to them, because they feel their readiness to listen and understand. It should be emphasized that empathy does not imply making any value judgments. Understood by the empathizing person is accepted as a characteristic of another person's psychological reality, which does not need someone else's assessment.
Step 3
In the process of empathy, a person is aware of the feelings and emotions of another, as if it were happening to him. A person can learn to empathize, but it is a long and difficult process. You need to start by studying the emotional nature of facial expressions, gestures and voice intonations. This way you can unmistakably recognize the state of the other. It is more difficult to learn to try on the sensual world of another on yourself. Gradually mastering this skill requires constant practice, so you have to develop the habit of noticing all sorts of little things.
Step 4
It is important to be open emotionally for another during communication, this will help to "feel" in his state. Observe the habits and imagine that it is you. After a while, you will even be able to predict the future behavior of a person. Empathy is living the life of another. The danger is that it can be difficult to get out of this state. A person runs the risk of getting stuck in other people's emotions, which will begin to destroy him from the inside. Empathy masters know how not only to help themselves get out of this state, but also to help another to cope with it.
Step 5
According to their ability to empathize, all people can be divided into groups. The first group is self-centered; they are indifferent to the thoughts and feelings of others. It is difficult for them to understand the other and establish adequate contact with him. They are more attracted to work in solitude, they avoid large companies. They rely more on intelligence than emotion.
Step 6
People of the second group are indifferent to others, but sometimes they show empathy. Emotions are not alien to them, but they try to control them. They try to listen to the other when communicating, but patience is not enough for a long time. People from the third group are rare, they have a highly developed ability to empathize. They are able to understand others as themselves or better, generous and sensitive. These people can be characterized as sincere, they are usually very much appreciated.
