The Decline of Empathy

Empathy
 The intellectual or
imaginative understanding
of another’s condition or
state of mind
 Found somewhere between
apathy and sympathy
 Based in acceptance,
understanding, cooperation,
and a sense of communion
 To feel compassion without
judgment
Attributes of Empathy
 Theresa Wiseman's four attributes of empathy:
1. To be able to see the world as others see it
 This requires putting your own "stuff" aside

2. To be nonjudgmental
 Judgement of another person's situation discounts the
experience – often an attempt to protect ourselves
3. To understand another person’s feelings
 We have to be in touch with our own feelings in order to
understand someone else's

4. To communicate your understanding of that person’s

feelings
 Don’t diminish another person’s experience by saying, “At
least you...” or “It could be worse...”
Empathy vs. Sympathy
 Sympathy reflects understanding another person's
situation - but viewed through your own lens
 Based on your version of what the other person is
dealing

 Ex: “Yeah, I can totally sympathize with your problem with

your boss, because I have my own problems with mine ...”

 Sympathy is “me” oriented - sorrow or concern

for another’s welfare are my feelings
 May offer reassurance rather than appreciate their
situation
Empathy Deficit Disorder
 Not a real medical disorder but rather a
culturally developed shared form of mental
disturbance
 Reflected in being unable to step outside yourself and
tune in to what other people experience

 Especially those who feel, think and believe

differently from yourself

 May hold adversarial attitudes - including hatred -

towards groups of people who differ in their beliefs,
traditions, values or ways of life from your own
 Polarization as a result of being unable or
unwilling to consider the mindset of groups with
different beliefs
 You only see yourself – your version is the only version

 Become locked into adversarial and oppositional

positions – will not even attempt to understand
from where others may be coming
Is Empathy Natural?
 Empathy is what you
feel only when you can
step outside of yourself
and enter the internal
world of the other
person
 We are actually wired to
experience it
 Mirror neurons – to
experience another’s
plight as our own
Developing Empathy
 By developing empathy you deepen your
understanding and acceptance of how and why
people do what they do
 Build greater respect for others
 From empathy, tolerance grows - awareness of
commonality and connection with fellow humans is
heightened
 Conflicts may be resolved more effectively and
with less destructiveness