Compassion

Compassion is a response to the suffering or misfortune of others that combines emotional resonance with a motivation to help alleviate that suffering. It goes beyond simply feeling for someone to include a desire to take action that reduces distress. Compassion is often contrasted with pity, which implies an emotional distance, and with sympathy, which may stop at concern without a commitment to help.

Etymology and scope: The term derives from the Latin com-patire, meaning to suffer with. Across cultures and traditions, compassion has been valued as a moral or spiritual virtue. In Buddhism and Hinduism, compassion (karuṇā) is central to practice; in Christianity, the related virtue of charity emphasizes care for others; secular psychology treats compassion as a prosocial disposition.

Cultivation and effects: Compassion can be cultivated through specific practices such as compassion or loving-kindness meditation, empathic listening, and caregiver training. Neuroscientific research links compassionate concern with activity in brain networks related to empathy and social valuation, and studies show associations with increased helping behavior, greater personal well-being, and reduced bias toward in-group members. Compassion can buffer stress for recipients and providers but may lead to compassion fatigue if exposure to suffering becomes chronic.

Applications and limits: In healthcare, education, and social services, compassion underpins patient- and client-centered approaches. Critics note the need to balance compassion with judgments about feasibility and autonomy, and warn that excessive or misdirected empathy can cause boundary problems or burnout. Overall, compassion is considered a foundational element of humane social life, capable of motivating ethically informed action while requiring mindful cultivation to sustain.