The ability to understand and enter into the feelings of another is called ________.

• A. compassion
• B. sympathy
• C. empathy
• D. apathy

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the key terms related to emotional understanding in psychology: compassion, sympathy, empathy, and apathy.
2. Step 2: Define 'compassion' as the feeling of concern for the suffering of others, often accompanied by a desire to help.
3. Step 3: Define 'sympathy' as feeling sorrow or pity for someone else's misfortune, but not necessarily sharing their emotional experience.
4. Step 4: Define 'empathy' as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person by putting yourself in their shoes emotionally.
5. Step 5: Define 'apathy' as a lack of feeling, emotion, or interest, which is the opposite of empathy.