Editing Sympathy (section)

{{short description|Perception of, understanding of, and reaction to the distress or need of another being}}
{{Other uses}}
{{distinguish|Empathy}}
'''Sympathy''' is the perception of, understanding of, and reaction to the [[Mental distress| distress]] or need of another [[life form]].<ref name="Decety 2010 886–899">{{cite journal|last=Tear|first=J|author2=Michalska, KJ |title=Neurodevelopmental changes in the circuits underlying empathy and sympathy from childhood to adulthood|journal=Developmental Science|year=2010|volume=13|issue=6|pages=886–899|doi=10.1111/j.1467-7687.2009.00940.x|pmid=20977559 |s2cid=10647101}}</ref>

According to philosopher [[David Hume]], this sympathetic concern is driven by a switch in viewpoint from a personal perspective to the perspective of another group or individual who is in need. Hume explained that this is the case because "the minds of all men are similar in their [[Feeling|feelings]] and operations" and that "the motion of one communicates itself to the rest" so that as "affections readily pass from one person to another… they beget correspondent movements."<ref>{{Cite book|chapter=II.III.1 Of the Other Virtues and Vices|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PeYwAQAAMAAJ|title=Treatise of Human Nature|last=Hume|first=David|year=1739|language=en|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PeYwAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA362}}</ref>

Along with Hume, two other men, [[Adam Smith]] and [[Arthur Schopenhauer]], worked to better define sympathy. Hume was mostly known for epistemology, Smith was known for his economic theory, and Schopenhauer for the philosophy of the will.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wispé|first=L.|year=1991|title=The psychology of sympathy|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media}}</ref>

American professor [[Brené Brown]] views sympathy as a way to stay out of touch with one's emotions. They attempt to make sense out of the situation and see it from the person receiving the sympathy's perception.<ref name=PMCCT>{{cite web|author=Psychiatric Medical Care Communications Team|title=The Difference between Empathy and Sympathy|website=Psychiatric Medical Care|date=12 October 2022|url=https://www.psychmc.com/blogs/empathy-vs-sympathy}}</ref>