Empathy has many different definitions that encompass a broad range of emotional states , such as caring for other people and having a desire to help them ; experiencing emotions that match another person 's emotions ; discerning what another person is thinking or feeling ; and making less distinct the differences between the self and the other .
They cover a wide spectrum , ranging from caring for other people and having a desire to help them , to experiencing emotions that match another person 's emotions , to knowing what the other person is thinking or feeling , to blurring the line between self and other .