As a follow-up to a previous blog post, Against Empathy? I would like to share a column by Denise Cummins, PhD, a cognitive scientist and author. Dr. Cummins is an elected Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and her research specialty i…
Daily Archives: 25/06/2015
11 posts
Empathy in Architecture – Emotion and Embodied Simulation in Design” on 21 April 2015 in Helsinki. The third jubilee seminar organized by the Alvar Aalto Academy, the Asko Foundation and the Tapani Wirkkala and Rut Bryk Foundation.Lect…
Ashely Papa, writer & contributor for FOX News Magazine recently contacted me to psychologically weigh in on the topic of empathy. She wondered if this virtuous quality could ever cause problems within a relationship. As a therapist, the ability to…
http://roserbatlle.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/service-learning-and-empathy2.pdfMany studies show how service-learning practices improve empathy on students: Students who engaged in service-learning showed greater empathy and cognitive complexity th…
Many business leaders firmly believe compassion has no place in the business world. While some managers fear showing too much kindness could be perceived as weakness, others think pressure—not compassion—is the only way to keep employees pr…
In this post, I offer a nuanced view of empathy and compassion as well as a critique of the aforementioned researchers’ assumptions and mission. As an introduction to the concept of empathy, here is how Frans De Waal described empathy i…
Empathy is a wonderful trait. It allows us to connect with people, experience their emotions, share common ground and foster a compassionate approach toward them.Real empathy is selfless, giving, understanding and accepting. To be a…
Highlights
- We review the social neuroscience of empathy.
- We discuss the terms cognitive, motor and affective empathy.
- We explore the possible roles of shared neural activations in empathy.
- We critically discuss the relationship of mirror neurons and empathy.
- We outline that empathy and morality are not directly linked.
In the last decade, the phenomenon of empathy has received widespread attention by the field of social neuroscience. This has provided fresh insights for theoretical models of empathy, and substantially influenced the academic and public conceptions about this complex social skill.
The present paper highlights three key issues which are often linked to empathy, but which at the same time might obscure our understanding of it.
These issues are:
- (1) shared neural activations and whether these can be interpreted as evidence for simulation accounts of empathy;
- (2) the causal link of empathy to our presumed mirror neuron system; and
- (3) the question whether increasing empathy will result in better moral decisions and behaviors.
The aim of our review is to provide the basis for critically evaluating our current understanding of empathy, and its public reception, and to inspire new research directions.
Empathy has little to do with slogans, rallies, reports, celebrities, or anti-defamation league banners.Empathy is a quiet, powerful work; it is the power of understanding and imaginatively entering into another person’s feelings, or in simple colloqui…
Positive parenting educators and mental health therapists talk a lot about empathy. When when parents want to know how to respond when their kids are angry or anxious, I suggest responding with empathy first.I tell parents to think of empathy as &ldquo…