KRISTIN CLARK

E M PAT H Y: C A N I T B E
TA U G H T ?

W H AT I S E M PAT H Y ?

Empathy is a term used to describe a broad

range of feelings, expressions and behaviors

that enable individuals to recognize, perceive
and to respond appropriately to the emotional
states of others (Schonert-Reichl & Oberle,
2011).
Deals with how we relate to and emotionally

comprehend others

T W O T Y P E S O F E M PAT H Y

Cognitive empathy: the mental ability to take

anothers perspective
Affective (emotional) empathy: the ability to

recognize and respond to anothers feelings

W H O M I G H T H AV E P R O B L E M S W I T H
E M PAT H Y ?
Individuals with the following have been

characterized as struggling with

feeling/understanding empathy:
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Personality disorders
Behavioral/conduct disorders

HOWEVER:

Even typical children & adolescents can struggle

with empathetic responses and feelings as a

result of development
Wall Street Journal (2013) found that empathy

develops a great deal within the brain during

adolescence in both boys and girls starting
around the age of 13

W H Y I S E M PAT H Y I M P O RTA N T I N
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY?

Many juvenile delinquents exhibit behavioral

and conduct issues, which are typically

characterized by a lack of ability to convey
empathy
Lovett & Sheffield (2006) found a negative

correlation between empathy and aggression in

adolescents

C A N E M PAT H Y B E TA U G H T ?

Absolutely: teaching empathy in childhood

through perspective-taking paves the way for

better empathetic development in adolescence
and adulthood
It is also just as possible for adolescents who do

not have a good foundation or understanding of

empathy from their childhood

W H AT C A N G E T I N T H E W AY O F
E M PAT H Y I N C H I L D H O O D ?

The natural course of cognitive and behavioral

development is most likely to get in the way of

empathy for children
Childhood egocentrism also plays a

large part

EGOCENTRISM IN CHILDHOOD
Concept developed by Piaget in his theory of

cognitive development
Typically occurs around the age of 2 and lasts to

about 7 years old (pre-operational stage)

Pre-operational thought: limited and egocentric
Hard time understanding other peoples

points of view, can only focus on one

concept at a time

EXAMPLE OF CHILDHOOD
EGOCENTRISM

T E A C H I N G E M PAT H Y I N C H I L D H O O D

Help children learn how to take on the

perspectives of others through role-playing - in

person or with puppets or dolls
Successful attachment between

parents/guardians and child

Proper modeling of behavior for the child from

parents/guardians that the child can mirror

H O W I S AT TA C H M E N T I N V O LV E D I N
E M PAT H Y ?
Developmental psychology has found that

empathy and emotion regulation are developed

and given a basis through the nurture supposed
to be given during attachment
The more secure an attachment made between

parent(s) and child, the greater potential they will

develop a strong sense of empathy
Therefore, understanding how to develop a secure

attachment with ones child is very important in

empathy

T E A C H I N G E M PAT H Y I N C H I L D H O O D
THROUGH MODELING
Asking the child or another person about his or

her day and how it made them feel, reacting

appropriately to present emotional regulation
and the awareness and understanding of others
emotions
Talking about how events during the day makes

you feel to increase emotional awareness

Asking the child how an example situation might

make them feel to allow them to attempt to

emotionally problem solve (assisting when
necessary)

W H AT C A N G E T I N T H E W AY O F
E M PAT H Y I N A D O L E S C E N C E ?

Besides the natural development of the brain

taking its course and naturally interfering in

some empathetic processes, there are other
factors that can interfere:
Social influence/peer pressure
Adolescent egocentric perspective

S O C I A L I N F LU E N C E A N D S T I G M A
Peer pressure among various peer groups is a very

significant stressor among adolescents to act a

certain way in order to fit in even if it may make
them feel uncomfortable - occurs no matter the
gender of the adolescent
Boys and minority students are characterized as

being more aggressive/lacking empathy (Wall Street

Journal, 2013)
Empathy is also less likely to be demonstrated to

minority adolescents (Spanierman, Poteat, Beer, &

Armstrong, 2006)

EGOCENTRISM IN
ADOLESCENCE
Developed by Elkind in his theory regarding the

adolescent thinking process

Adolescent egocentrism: belief that the

adolescent is far more important than they

actually are
Preoccupation with own feelings and not

those of others

T H R E E FA L S E C O N C L U S I O N S O F
ADOLESCENT EGOCENTRISM
Imaginary audience: belief that everyone is

focused on the adolescent, therefore the

adolescent tries to fit in with this audience
Personal fable: belief that adolescent is entirely

unique and no one understands them or what

theyre going through
Invincibility fable: belief that nothing bad will

happen to the adolescent (reason for risk-taking

in adolescence)

T E A C H I N G E M PAT H Y I N
ADOLESCENCE
Teach mindfulness to cultivate a better

awareness of ones actions and emotions in the

present
Engage in discussions to attempt to dispel

common theories of adolescent egocentrism

(e.g. Why dont you tell me what youre going
through so I can better understand?)
Encourage individuals to engage in volunteer

work to better understand the lives of others

T E A C H I N G E M PAT H Y I N
ADOLESCENCE

Modeling of empathetic behaviors is also

effective in adolescence
Instruction on peer pressure and societal biases

in order to attempt to provide a framework for

behavior that should and should not be engaged
in or followed

T E A C H I N G E M PAT H Y I N
A D O L E S C E N C E T H R O U G H T H E A RT S
Just as role-playing can help children learn about

empathy, adolescents can learn about empathy

and the emotional experiences of others
through an involvement in the arts (Goldstein &
Winner, 2012)
Music & theatre are fantastic avenues which one

can explore and develop a better sense of

empathy