10/09 Empathy

EMPATHY

WHAT IS EMPATHY?

• Definition: Empathy is an umbrella term that captures three related but distinct facets, which are:

  • Experience Sharing:

  • Defined as “catching” others' emotions.

  • Involves feeling what one believes another person is feeling.

  • Mentalizing:

  • This refers to taking another's perspective and seeing the world through their eyes.

  • Involves thinking about how and why others feel the way they do.

  • Compassion:

  • Defined as having concern for another’s emotional state.

  • Includes a desire to do something to help others feel better.

• Relationship among facets:

  • These three facets are associated with each other but can separate in meaningful ways.

• Emotional responses:

  • Though often thought of as a response to negative emotions in others, empathy can also be directed towards positive emotions.

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE ABOUT EMPATHY?

• Beliefs to Consider:

  • Positive or negative perception of empathy?

  • Is empathy viewed as automatic or controllable?

  • Discussion on increasing or decreasing levels of empathy in society.

POSITIVE VS. NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF EMPATHY

• Positive Aspects (Dan Batson Camp):

  • Empathy is crucial for altruism and motivates people to help those in need.

  • Promotes charitable giving and helps reduce aggressive behaviors, such as bullying and crime.

• Negative Aspects (Paul Bloom Camp):

  • Argues that “Empathy makes the world worse.”

  • Empathy can lead to biases, such as the identifiable victim effect.

  • It can evoke intense emotional responses that may result in immoral behaviors or poor decision-making.

  • Empathizers may end up feeling distress, anxiety, or depression as a consequence of their empathetic feelings.

AUTOMATIC VS. CONTROLLABLE EMPATHY

• Automatic Empathy:

  • People often mimic each other's facial expressions within microseconds.

  • Infants display automatic empathy, as evidenced by crying in response to another infant's cry.

  • This phenomenon is related to neural resonance, where the brain reflects the emotional experience of an observed individual.

• Controllable Empathy:

  • People do not automatically feel empathy for individuals in outgroups to the same extent, indicating a lack of neural engagement.

  • People can choose to avoid situations that elicit empathy, especially when they wish to escape feelings of guilt or responsibility for helping others.

  • Conversely, individuals may approach empathy-inducing situations when motivated to be seen positively.

INCREASING VS. DECREASING EMPATHY

• Increasing Trends:

  • Evidence suggests that high school students are increasingly volunteering.

  • Crime rates have generally fallen since the 1990s.

  • However, there has been an observed increase in hate crimes against marginalized populations like the homeless, immigrants, and LGBTQ individuals.

• Decreasing Trends:

  • Research by Konrath, O’Brien, & Hsing (2011) indicates a notable decline in empathy between 1979 and 2009:

  • Affective empathy declined by 48% (Example Statement: “I often have tender, concerned feelings for people less fortunate than me”).

  • Cognitive empathy declined by 34% (Example Statement: “I sometimes find it difficult to see things from the other guy’s point of view” [R]).

EMPATHY AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

• Empathy facilitates:

  • Forgiveness from victims involved in conflicts.

  • Apologies from those who have transgressed against others.

• Conceptual insight: Viewing empathy as controllable or changeable may encourage individuals to attempt empathy in challenging conflict situations, where it is often difficult to empathize.

  • Reference: Schumann, Zaki, & Dweck, 2014.

EMPATHIC LISTENING

• Core Principle: Seek first to understand.

PRACTICING EMPATHIC LISTENING

• Strategies:

  • Give Full Attention: Eliminate distractions and focus entirely on the speaker.

  • Use Attentive Body Language: This includes maintaining eye contact, having an open body posture, and providing appropriate nods to indicate engagement.

  • Avoid Interruptions: Resist the urge to interrupt the speaker or formulate counterarguments while they are speaking.

  • Encourage Expression: Prompt the speaker to share their viewpoints through open-ended questions.

  • Clarify Understanding: Seek to clarify the speaker's perceptions, feelings, and desires.

  • Restate/Summarize: Reflect back what you are hearing to confirm understanding.

A FEW OTHER LISTENING TIPS

• Focus on Needs: Concentrate on the interests (or needs) of your interaction partner rather than just their wants.

  • Understanding needs helps clarify the underlying problems behind wants, which is crucial for effective resolution.

• Clarifying Needs: This allows for potential insight into the motives driving the other person's wants and can foster innovative solutions to satisfy those needs.

• Emotional Matching: Match your partner's emotional tone to some extent to promote connection.

• Technology Distraction: Put away technology during conversations to maintain focus and presence.

• Skill Development: Recognize that empathic listening is a skill that can be developed over time.

INVESTING EMPATHIC EFFORT

• Commit to engaging in empathic listening.

  • Example practices include giving full attention, asking open-ended questions, and providing validation where applicable.

• Learn About Others: Strive to understand someone or their viewpoint by actively engaging in “perspective-getting.”

  • This involves asking directed questions to grasp how the other person perceives their life.

• Educate Yourself: Make an effort to learn about cultural practices relevant to the individuals you interact with.

• Build Connections: Seek opportunities to spend time with the person and find common ground, such as shared values, experiences, or interests.

• Collaborative Efforts: Work together on projects or endeavors to enhance understanding.

• Challenge Your Biases: Examine and check personal biases that might affect empathy and interaction with others.