Empathy is the ability to experience and understand what others feel without confusion between oneself and others. Knowing what someone else is feeling plays a fundamental role in interpersonal interactions.

empathy

• The ability to put oneself into the mental shoes of another person to understand his or her emotions and feelings[a form of simulation, or inner imitation][4]
• A complex form of psychological inference in which observation, memory, knowledge, and reasoning are combined to yield insights into the thoughts and feelings of others[5]
• An affective response more appropriate to someone else.s situation than to one.s own[6]
• An other-oriented emotional response congruent with the other's perceived welfare[7]
• An affective response that stems from the apprehension or comprehension of another.s emotional state or condition, and which is similar to what the other person is feeling or would be expected to feel in the given situation[8]