Name the ability of the counsellor to understand the feelings of another person from his/her perspective.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Empathy
Option (1) Sympathy — Incorrect. In sympathy one has compassion and pity towards the suffering of another but is not able to feel like the other person. It does not take the other person’s perspective.
Option (2) Empathy — Correct. Empathy is present when one is able to understand the plight of another person, and feel like the other person. It means understanding things from the other person’s perspective, putting oneself in the other person’s shoes, and it turns the therapeutic relationship into a healing one.
Option (3) Authenticity — Incorrect. Authenticity means that one’s behavioural expressions are consistent with what one values and with one’s inner self-image. It is about the counsellor being genuine, not about understanding the client’s feelings.
Option (4) Paraphrasing — Incorrect. Paraphrasing is the ability to reflect on what the client says and feels using different words, a restatement that shows how much of the message was understood. It is a skill of restating, not of feeling with the client.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2022 on 16-07-2022 (Slot 1).
NCERT (2025-26): “Therapeutic Relationship … The therapist has empathy for the client. Empathy is different from sympathy and intellectual understanding of another person’s situation. In sympathy, one has compassion and pity towards the suffering of another but is not able to feel like the other person. Intellectual understanding is cold in the sense that the person is unable to feel like the other person and does not feel sympathy either. On the other hand, empathy is present when one is able to understand the plight of another person, and feel like the other person. It means understanding things from the other person’s perspective, i.e. putting oneself in the other person’s shoes. Empathy enriches the therapeutic relationship and transforms it into a healing relationship.…” |