(Zaki 2013)

Title: Empathy as a choice - 3: “Growing” empathy

DOI or website link:

Publication:

Authors: Jamil Zaki

Date: August 22, 2013

Affiliation(s):

Abstract:

"how we might intervene to “grow” people’s empathy. A flurry of recent interventions has been targeted at answering this question. Such interventions often rest on the popular model I’ve contested in these posts, under which empathy comprises

• • (i) skill at understanding others’ emotions, and

  • (ii) automatic tendencies to share those emotions. ...

A “choice model” totally reframes this discussion, and suggests that instead of trying to make people better at empathizing, interventions should focus on making empathy more desirable....

Topic Area:

(In which field / sector / perspective was this study conducted?)

Intervention/Methods used:

(What was the method used to train empathy?)

• • choice model

  • making empathy desirable.

Participants:

(Who participated in this study / training?)

About the assessment:

(How was the change in empathy measures before / after the intervention/method?)

What was the result?:

Posted By: Edwin Rutsch

Notes:

(Any other relevant information)

[He says frame empathy as being socially desirable and people will be motivated to be more empathic. This is in contrast to telling people to be more empathic (or compassionate). This happens a lot in the compassion community. We are admonished to be more compassionate.]