What is defined as a sincere understanding of the feelings, thoughts, and motives of others?

Empathy is the capacity to truly understand and share the feelings, thoughts, and motivations of another person. It involves placing yourself in someone else's position emotionally and intellectually, allowing for a deeper connection and insight into their experiences. This understanding often leads to compassion and supportive actions, but it fundamentally revolves around grasping the internal world of another individual.

Compassion refers to the feelings of care or concern for someone who is experiencing hardship but does not necessarily involve the same depth of understanding as empathy. Sympathy, while similar in caring for someone’s plight, tends to be more about feeling pity or sorrow for their situation rather than sharing in their emotional experience. Comprehension is a broader term related to the grasping of concepts or situations, but it does not specifically address emotional connection or understanding of feelings and motives. Thus, empathy stands out as it encapsulates the nuanced emotional resonance that comes from recognizing and relating to another's internal experiences.