Articles

INDIVIDUALISM V RELATIONAL

Making the political personal: how psychology undermines feminist activism

Feminists should be more concerned about the way the therapy model individualizes women’s oppression and professionalizes empathy.

DECEMBER 21, 2017

by TOVE HAPPONEN

"We are all exhausted, stressed out, depleted, depressed, and distressed, and so can relate to and empathize with women experiencing the same. But, as feminists, we know patriarchy exists and that we face various forms of oppression in this world, so why don’t we question the oft-repeated advice, “Take care of yourself first,” when a sister expresses her troubles, and instead say, “Let’s help one another.”"

"Good therapists are described as being empathetic, attentive, and, most of all, people we trust and can speak openly to without being judged. These are all qualities one would hope describes a good friend, but we have been taught that we are not enough, and that there are “professionals” who are simply better at empathy than us.

This professionalization of empathy and care has deeply affected the feminist movement, as rape crisis centres and battered women’s shelters become increasingly staffed by those with the ability to get degrees, rather than by regular women —"

"We have to reach out and organize in real life, help each other, be supportive and understanding, listening and empathetic, tolerant and kind, but also firm and truthful. We must understand that we are all hurt, frustrated, and angry — and that this is not something we have to deal with alone."

mentions rationality

Relational Empathy: Beyond Modernist Egocentricism to Postmodern Holistic Contextualism

Maureen O'Hara

"Mutual Empathy.

"The discussion so far has been aimed at a better understanding of empathy as a way of relational knowing, a way of , in Polanyi's words, "indwelling" in the experiential life-world of individuals and groups. But there is still more that Western psychology can gain by moving beyond modernist views of empathy.

Empathy provides more than just information about relationships. It is an expression of being in relationship. It is not just a means to better healing relationship, but because it recenters relationship as a central organizing feature of psychic life, empathy itself is healing. The experience of being known and accepted deeply by another, being aware of another being aware of you, what Jordan calls "mutual empathy" (Jordan, et al., 1991), is among the most psychologically important human experiences. There is ample evidence that without a clear sense of connectedness, human beings, especially infants and children, cannot thrive. It is through mutual empathy that we we develop a sense of ourselves in relationship, the security of knowing that we belong, the knowledge of who we belong to, and how we must participate if we are to be loved, and recognized by our community." "

CULTURE

Why Empathetic HR Leaders Are More Effective

By Arlene S. Hirsch

Jan 15, 2018

"Creating a More Empathetic Culture

The 2016 Empathy Index showed that companies that successfully create empathetic cultures retain the best talent, create environments where diversity is valued and reap greater financial rewards. The top 10 companies in the 2015 Global Empathy Index increased in value more than twice as much as the bottom 10 and generated 50 percent more earnings."

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"Coaching and mentoring are particularly effective ways to cultivate a more empathetic culture. "

Re-Fresh: Cultural Transformation at Microsoft

By Terence Brake

Changing Company Culture'

01 Nov / 2017

Building an Empathetic Culture

His philosophy is based on the power of deep empathy for other people. His son Zain was born with cerebral palsy, and the challenge forced him to change the way he looks at relationships, both at home and at work. “Ideas excite me. Empathy grounds and centers me,” he says. What is the power of empathy?

Empathy improves team work:

His team needed to deepen their understandings of one another, and to connect their personal philosophies to their jobs. He wanted them to connect as people, not cubicle drones

Empathy helps open the mind:

With empathy, the mind opens to thinking about other people’s perspectives. In a Wall Street Journal interview, he said, “The business we are in is to meet the unmet, unarticulated needs of customers. And there’s no way you’re going to do that well without having empathy and curiosity.”

Empathy helps you admit mistakes and move on:

Empathy lets you step back, reflect, and change directions (re-fresh). We all need to hit the re-fresh button occasionally. Re-fresh is not a destructor of the old. Bill Gates in the Foreword for the book stresses that re-fresh actually keeps some things while replacing others."

How to Build a Culture of Empathy

In this short video, Brian Bolwell, MD, Chair of Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, contends that building a culture of empathy is the most important job of a leader in academic medicine and is especially key in the oncology setting.

Outline

    • Being aware of culture is important for leaders.

    • Place empathy and compassion front and center.

    • think about the needs and comfort of the patient.

    • How to foster empathy.

      • create stories of people.

Creating a Culture of Empathy in the Workplace

Talk-It-Out Radio

04.01.18 - 7:00PM

"What is your workplace culture like? In your place of employment, how often do you experience colleagues, supervisors and upper management responding to you and others with judgment-free active listening (empathic presence)?

A leading corporation in Silicon Valley shared research findings that presented empathy as the single most important workplace practice for effective teams. Work-based teams that operationalize empathy as a workplace tool, and prioritize connection between members of the team, are proven to be the most successful."

TRIBELESS

"Have better conversations. build a culture of empathy. We believe authentic conversations are the key to building empathy in diverse groups of people. We design empathy-building tools and experiences for communities and organizations. "