Empathy vs. Sympathy

Empathy and sympathy are very similar in that they both have to do with your reaction to another person's thoughts or feelings, but they are also very different.

When you show empathy for another person, you understand what they are thinking or feeling, but you do not also feel what they are feeling. You know what they are feeling and why they are feeling it, but you do not feel it as well. 

When you show sympathy for another person, you feel what they feel. If they are sad, you feel their sadness. If they are happy, you feel their happiness, etc. 

The difference between empathy and sympathy is understanding or feeling. Empathy is understanding, sympathy is feeling.

As a historian, a person must be able to show empathy to those he/she is studying. If he/she is able to show empathy, it can lead to discovering and understanding why those being studied did what they did.