From Latin sensitivities, the sensitivity is the ability to feel (typical of sentient and lively beings). The term acquires different meanings according to the context.
Sensitivity can be the natural propensity of human being to let go of the affections of the tenderness and the compassion . For example: "The picture of a malnourished child aroused my sensitivity and I decided to collaborate", "My husband does not like these films, it seems that he does not have very developed sensitivity", "To work in the hospital you have to leave the sensitivity aside and not compromise affectively with patients".
Humanity, tenderness or empathy are other elements that are associated with someone being considered with an important level of sensitivity.
That is vital to establish that, throughout history, it has inspired many artists and writers as well as musicians. A good example of this is the set of works that take her as a reference and even make her protagonist already in her titles. Among the best known is the novel "Sense and sensitivity."
The British author Jane Austen was the one who created this narration in 1811, which takes as protagonists the Dashwood sisters, two young people who have to face a complicated personal moment such as the death of their father and the move to a new home , a secluded space in the countryside where they will live with their mother and her sister.
The two females come to represent precisely the duality of the title of the work, since one, the largest, is the most rational of the two and the one that is always able to control their impulses. Meanwhile, the little one is the most sensitive, the most emotional and the one who always gets carried away by what she feels.
It is important to determine that, sometimes, the term sensitivity is often confused with sensitivity. The first can make clear that it is the feeling that makes us human, which leads us to identify with the problems of our peers. Meanwhile, the second term makes more reference to that sensitivity that is false or forced.
In an artistic context, sensitivity is linked to the aesthetic intention . Sensitive people, in this sense, have a propensity to express themselves through art and to show different nuances: “He is a highly sensitive painter”, “The new film demonstrates the sensitivity of this filmmaker again”.
For the biology , the sensitivity is the ability of living beings to perceive stimuli , both internal and external, through the senses . The nervous system has a physiological function that allows the detection of physical or chemical variations through sensory organs: "In this part of the hand we have greater sensitivity", “An accident caused me to lose sensation in my fingers”.
Sensitivity, finally, is the measure of effectiveness of some appliances or machines . The concept refers to the ability to detect a magnitude or respond to an order: "This is a highly sensitive device, capable of detecting objects that are buried more than a hundred meters away".
