Importance of Empathy in Relationships
Empathy is placing yourself in the shoes of the other person, experiencing or getting a feel of what the person is going through. Having empathy will improve your understanding, your sensitivity, your maturity and the way you interact with a person.
Empathy is given a lot of importance in professions that deal with customer care, marketing, public relations, customer complaints redressal units etc. However, empathy is a quality that plays a very important role in relationships, be it in family relationships, relationship with neighbours or intimate and romantic relationships.
Thinking from the point of view of the partner or even considering it/understanding it can reduce arguments, petty fights, break offs, heartache, anger or deterioration of the relationship. It works both ways. The man in the relationship needs to understand the feelings and position of the woman and the woman needs to understand the limitations and compulsions of the man. This is likely to reduce a lot of friction and grudge that partners may have for each other.
For example, the man in the relationship must be able to empathize with the woman regarding the hesitation to meet him personally (due to fear of the family finding out about it), her reservations about the level of intimacy she can allow in the relationship, the emotional crisis, guilt she goes through while hiding the relationship from parents etc.
Similarly, woman need to understand the compulsions of the partner if he is not able to devote sufficient time to her due to professional commitments, the need of the partner to have some privacy, giving preference to family requirements rather than the partner and so on.
Empathy requires foregoing of ego, selfishness, self interest and giving importance to the feelings and emotional processes of the other person. It means shifting the focus of attention from yourself, your feelings, your stubbornness to the realities of the other person.
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