Mimpathy (, literally "after experience") is a
philosophical
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
concept related to
empathy
Empathy is generally described as the ability to take on another person's perspective, to understand, feel, and possibly share and respond to their experience. There are more (sometimes conflicting) definitions of empathy that include but are ...
and
sympathy
Sympathy is the perception of, understanding of, and reaction to the Mental distress, distress or need of another life form.
According to philosopher David Hume, this sympathetic concern is driven by a switch in viewpoint from a personal perspe ...
. In
Dagobert D. Runes' 1942 ''Dictionary of Philosophy'', contributor Herman Hausheer defines mimpathy as the sharing of another's feelings on a matter, without necessarily experiencing feelings of sympathy.
Philosopher
Max Scheler
Max Ferdinand Scheler (; 22 August 1874 – 19 May 1928) was a German philosopher known for his work in phenomenology, ethics, and philosophical anthropology. Considered in his lifetime one of the most prominent German philosophers,Davis, Zacha ...
describes mimpathy, or "
emotion
Emotions are physical and mental states brought on by neurophysiology, neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavior, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or suffering, displeasure. There is ...
al imitation", as the basis for sympathy, but of no help in understanding another person in and of itself. Scheler identifies four types of sympathy:
#''Compathy'', or emotional solidarity, the immediate sharing of the same emotion with another
#Genuine ''sympathy'', in which sorrow is experienced "in an act of understanding experienced as such an act", and the objective source of emotion is not shared
#''Transpathy'', or
emotional contagion
Emotional contagion is a form of social contagion that involves the spontaneous spread of emotions and related behaviors. Such emotional convergence can happen from one person to another, or in a larger group. Emotions can be shared across indivi ...
, a state induced in a group, "automatic and without understanding", by the emotional display of another
#''Unipathy'', or genuine emotional identification with another, an "intensified" and "involuntary" form of transpathy, which may present as a ''
folie à deux
''Folie à deux'' (), also called shared psychosis Berrios, G. E., and I. S. Marková. 2015. "Shared Pathologies. Pp. 3–15 in ''Troublesome disguises: Managing challenging Disorders in Psychiatry'' (2nd ed.), edited by D. Bhugra and G. Malhi. ...
''.
Academic Karen E. Smythe, in analyzing the fiction of
Mavis Gallant, described mimpathy as a combination of
mimesis
Mimesis (; , ''mīmēsis'') is a term used in literary criticism and philosophy that carries a wide range of meanings, including '' imitatio'', imitation, similarity, receptivity, representation, mimicry, the act of expression, the act of ...
and
empathy
Empathy is generally described as the ability to take on another person's perspective, to understand, feel, and possibly share and respond to their experience. There are more (sometimes conflicting) definitions of empathy that include but are ...
, an acting out of "self-dramas" as a means of interpreting the suffering of literary characters.
See also
*
Consolation
Consolation, consolement, and solace are terms referring to psychological comfort given to someone who has suffered severe, upsetting loss, such as the death of a loved one. It is typically provided by expressing shared regret for that loss and ...
References
{{authority control
1942 introductions
1940s neologisms
Emotions
Interpersonal relationships
Virtue
Concepts in ethics
Empathy