Building Empathy through Motivation-Based Interventions
Erika Weisza
Desmond C. Ongb
Ryan W. Carlsond
Jamil Zakie
Abstract
Empathy is associated with adaptive social and emotional outcomes; as such, a crucial outstanding question is whether it can be bolstered in ways that make practical differences in people’s lives. Most empathy-building efforts address one’s ability to empathize, increasing empathy by training skills like perspective taking. However, empathy is more than the ability to share and understand others’ feelings; it also reflects underlying motives that drive people to experience or avoid it. As such, another strategy for increasing empathy could focus on shifting relevant motives.