Empathy

[faithlilly]

You think money protects people from suffering then? It can't buy love, remember.

It can’t buy support either.

[G-Unit]

In the beginning I think many of the public were unable to empathise with the parents because they could never see themselves putting their children in such a dangerous situation...it really wasn’t about their truthfulness.

It was a comedy of errors imo. It began with the Paynes booking the holiday without noticing there was no listening service in PdL. That resulted in some of the group being reluctant to go, according to Matthew Oldfield;

That fact had made some of the couples - and himself in particular - reluctant to come to Portugal because all the families have minor children.
https://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/MATTHEW-OLDFIELD-10MAY.htm

Eventually a decision was taken to operate a listening service themselves. Ironically the family who made that decision necessary opted for listening using technology rather than running back and forth like the other three families.

[Vertigo Swirl]

You also judged. You judged the McCanns to be truthful and believable, did you not? Otherwise why be aghast at other's lack of empathy?

At the stage I am talking about no one was questioning their version of events, they weren’t being accused online of a cover up they were simply being lambasted for leaving their kids alone while they “went on the piss”.

[Vertigo Swirl]

In the beginning I think many of the public were unable to empathise with the parents because they could never see themselves putting their children in such a dangerous situation...it really wasn’t about their truthfulness.

yep, that’s just what I have said.

[Vertigo Swirl]

I thought empathy involved understanding another's feelings even if one doesn't share them? So empathising with Amaral's feelings is possible no matter why he has them or whether one shares them.

Do you empathise with the McCanns’ feelings?  I think I can understand what motivated Amaral and why he felt the way he did.  His ego had taken a battering, he’d been shunted sideways, humiliated at home by his bosses and abroad by the media, the case had potentially destroyed him personally and professionally but he saw a way to turn it to his advantage and with the added benefit of sticking it directly to those who he perceived as the cause of all his problems.

Oops, forgot the IMO.

[G-Unit]

Do you empathise with the McCanns’ feelings?  I think I can understand what motivated Amaral and why he felt the way he did.  His ego had taken a battering, he’d been shunted sideways, humiliated at home by his bosses and abroad by the media, the case had potentially destroyed him personally and professionally but he saw a way to turn it to his advantage and with the added benefit of sticking it directly to those who he perceived as the cause of all his problems.

Oops, forgot the IMO.

Of course I can empathise with the McCanns' feelings. The difference between us is that I probably don't agree with you as to what they were or what caused them.

You seem to struggle with empathising with Amaral's feelings.

[faithlilly]

Of course I can empathise with the McCanns' feelings. The difference between us is that I probably don't agree with you as to what they were or what caused them.

You seem to struggle with empathising with Amaral's feelings.

It’s not just the struggle to empathise with Amaral but the tangible delight at every aspect of his downfall that is so odd. It’s almost as if his actions have harmed them personally.

[barrier]

The only one I can feel empathy for is Madeleine,according to the parents version of events she was left to her own fate.

[Vertigo Swirl]

Of course I can empathise with the McCanns' feelings. The difference between us is that I probably don't agree with you as to what they were or what caused them.

You seem to struggle with empathising with Amaral's feelings.

Why do you say that?  I would say your observation was ad hominem.  You say you empathise with the McCanns but I don’t see any evidence of it. 

[Vertigo Swirl]

It’s not just the struggle to empathise with Amaral but the tangible delight at every aspect of his downfall that is so odd. It’s almost as if his actions have harmed them personally.

You’re seeing things that just aren’t there.  Also ad hominem. 

[Vertigo Swirl]

The only one I can feel empathy for is Madeleine,according to the parents version of events she was left to her own fate.

Are you sure you don’t mean sympathy?

[Robittybob1]

Are you sure you don’t mean sympathy?

So what is the difference between empathy and sympathy?

"Emotion researchers generally define empathy as the ability to sense other people's emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. ... “Cognitive empathy,” sometimes called “perspective taking,” refers to our ability to identify and understand other people's emotions."

"Sympathy is a feeling of pity or sense of compassion — it's when you feel bad for someone else who's going through something hard."

[Vertigo Swirl]

So what is the difference between empathy and sympathy?

"Emotion researchers generally define empathy as the ability to sense other people's emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling. ... “Cognitive empathy,” sometimes called “perspective taking,” refers to our ability to identify and understand other people's emotions."

"Sympathy is a feeling of pity or sense of compassion — it's when you feel bad for someone else who's going through something hard."

I feel great sympathy for the McCanns and especially Madeleine McCann.  I empathise with the parents as I can imagine how they must have felt and continue to feel with regard to their child's disappearance and the feelings of guilt and regret they must have to live with.  Sadly I believe once Madeleine was taken she was killed shortly thereafter so my feelings with regard to her are total sympathy rather than empathy as I cannot imagine (or perhaps don't want to) the feelings that she experienced in her last moments. 

[G-Unit]

Why do you say that?  I would say your observation was ad hominem.  You say you empathise with the McCanns but I don’t see any evidence of it.

No criticism intended, I just noticed that you haven't actually said you can empathise with Amaral. Just like you I can imagine and understand the McCann's feelings, even though I probably don't agree with you as to what they were and what caused them.

[Robittybob1]

I feel great sympathy for the McCanns and especially Madeleine McCann.  I empathise with the parents as I can imagine how they must have felt and continue to feel with regard to their child's disappearance and the feelings of guilt and regret they must have to live with.  Sadly I believe once Madeleine was taken she was killed shortly thereafter so my feelings with regard to her are total sympathy rather than empathy as I cannot imagine (or perhaps don't want to) the feelings that she experienced in her last moments.

When I looked at the definitions I found I was wondering if it was possible to feel empathy or sympathy for a person who was thought to be deceased?

G-unit said "I feel great sympathy for the McCanns and especially Madeleine McCann."  But if she is deceased is it sympathy or empathy she feels, or is it just sorrow? 
I'm sure we can feel sorrow for someone who's died. 

sorrow
/ˈsɒrəʊ/
Learn to pronounce
noun
a feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others.
"a bereaved person needs time to work through their sorrow"
Similar:
sadness
unhappiness
dejection
regret
depression
misery
cheerlessness
downheartedness
despondency
despair
desolation
wretchedness
glumness
gloom
gloominess
heaviness of heart
dolefulness
melancholy
low spirits
mournfulness
woe
broken-heartedness
heartache
grief
down
dolorous
disconsolateness
disconsolation
dismalness
Opposite:
joy

verb
feel or display deep distress.
"a woman had cried all night, sorrowing over the death of her husband"