Shola Kaye explains the three types of empathy: cognitive empathy, emotional empathy, and empathic concern.

Transcript – Exploring the Three Types of Empathy: An Easy Guide

Now, interestingly, there are three different kinds of empathy. The first one is what we call cognitive empathy. So that’s where you get somebody’s perspective, you kind of can understand from a mental position. So, for example, if a friend of yours who loves playing soccer broke their leg, you could get that must be a bit of a bummer that this person can’t play soccer for the next however long, right? You might not feel it in your heart, but you can understand it would be frustrating. The second kind of empathy is what we typically think of as empathy, where it’s if you feel one way, I feel the same way. And then the third kind of empathy is – and somebody said, here compassion, put your hand up, the person that said compassion; yeah, thank you – so the third kind of empathy is what we call empathic concern. And that is where you want to help somebody by showing compassion. So all of these other kinds of empathy, they’re useful, but ideally we want to take action at the end of it. It’s all very well to feel what someone else feels, but if we don’t do anything about it, how useful is that? So it’s really about getting to that third kind of empathy.

---

Hi, I’m Shola and I help you create a people-first culture. My work sits at the intersection of Inclusion, Communication & Emotional Intelligence.

My keynote talks and workshops help your leaders and employees create high-performing work environments where people feel a sense of belonging and psychological safety. Sessions are high energy, interactive, and every participant walks away with at least one practical framework for connecting and collaborating more effectively.

Sound good to you? Please reach out and let’s discuss your next event! 🙂🎤✨