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Empathic (or personal) distress is an aversive and self-oriented emotional response to the suffering of others. It is often associated with withdrawal behaviour thought to be motivated by the desire to protect oneself from prevalent negative emotional experiences. The self-other distinction becomes blurred as the secondary empathic experience caused by witnessing another person suffering becomes so overwhelming that it turns into personal distress.
References
Vrtička, P., Favre, P., & Singer, T. (2017). Compassion and the brain. Compassion: Concepts, research and applications, 135-150.