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There remains within International Relations a general presumption towards mistrust which characterises interactions at the global level and which has been identified as a relevant factor in conflict transformation. How we conceptualise trust and mistrust matters because it can make the difference between war and peace. This article considers trust, empathy, and dialogue as central concepts for an understanding of conflict and its transformation. Arguing for a relational and dynamic understanding of trust, empathy, and dialogue, the article identifies limitations within IR and contributes to an emergent interdisciplinary research agenda. The contested and unresolved negotiations between Iran and the West over Iran's nuclear program which is framed by the parties as a dilemma of trust, serves to illustrate some of the obstacles to exercising empathy and, at the same time, the need to engage in reflexive dialogue in order to build trust and transform adversarial relationships. Adapted from the source document.

A key interdisciplinary concept in our understanding of social interaction across creative and cultural practices, kinesthetic empathy describes the ability to experience empathy merely by observing the movements of another human being. Encouraging readers to sidestep the methodological and disciplinary boundaries associated with the arts and sciences, Kinesthetic Empathy in Creative and Cultural Practices offers innovative and critical perspectives on topics ranging from art to sport, film to physical therapy

Designers are now taught that empathy with users is crucial to technology design. We offer a warning that this dictum and its implementation, despite admirable intentions, can promote exclusion in design: Empathy will not bring the desired benefit to the design process if it is naively construed and understood as a feminine trait, if shortcuts are used to allegedly take the effort out of the empathic process, or if the social situation in which empathy is taking place is not considered. We show that these issues are closely coupled in design practices. Using personas—fictitious descriptions of people used to make users visible in the design process—as an example, we argue that the danger of reifying gendered assumptions might be inherent in those methods and tools in human-computer interaction research that are supposed to enable and strengthen empathy.

Sociological theories of morality have grown in prevalence over the last decade and a half. These theories often focus on developing single concepts such as identity, reputation or emotion, or they provide sweeping historical accounts. Such theories often also take the construct of empathy for granted, as an inevitable consequence of morality. Here, I present a mechanistic theory of empathy which operates at multiple levels of analysis. The approach offered can help frame particular topics in the sociology of morality, though it is also robust enough to analyse historical change. Specifically, the theory presented here is composed of sets of situational, structural and societal mechanisms. Each set is discussed, as well as their relation to one another, before turning to an explication of how the present theory relates to a selective sampling of prominent theories in the contemporary sociology of morality.

This book has two main objectives. The first is to identify and adequately describe the phenomenon of empathy. This essentially means offering a strong, reasoned and accurate description of the phenomenon of empathy in order to capture the essence of the empathic phenomenon and clearly distinguish it from other similar emotional phenomena such as sympathy or compassion The second part focuses on the role that this phenomenon can play on the ethical-moral level. The question is whether empathy is necessary or at least important for morality, and if so, to what extent, in what way and for what reasons. This is an open access book.

AbstractEmpathy has held a vital and enduring standing in the theory and practice of clinical social work. Defining and conceptualizing empathy is a continuing challenge in social work and across the human services. A multitude of definitions of empathy exist in the therapeutic literature, creating confusion relating to research findings and treatment processes. Recent trends emphasize an overarching and expansive way of conceiving empathic understanding in the therapeutic relationship and informing treatment practice. Multiple perspectives of empathy facilitate a broad and wide-ranging engagement of the practitioner and the client in the therapeutic process. With significant implications for clinical social workers, an integral model capitalizes on the engagement of empathy from multiple ways of knowing: subjective, objective, and interpersonal. Numerous clinical examples illustrate applications of the tripartite model in social work practice. The integral empathy model is amenable to research and training across therapeutic contexts in social work and related fields.

Over half of refugees are school-aged children. In host communities, children's attitudes and behaviours are important for the integration of refugee children. This study examines the empathy–attitudes–action model in middle childhood (N = 94, 8 to 11 years old). In both the experimental and control conditions, children were introduced to a (fictional) refugee and told that he or she would be moving to their school. The experimental condition also listened to a storybook about the child's refugee experience. Empathy, outgroup attitudes, and prosocial behaviour toward the incoming child, and refugees as a group, were measured. Although mediation was not supported, the storybook condition reported more empathy and helping intentions, and attitudes predicted helping intentions but not giving to refugees. Results highlight how host-society children can welcome refugees.

This article presents a social work model of empathy that reflects the latest interdisciplinary research findings on empathy. The model reflects the social work commitment to social justice. The three model components are: 1) the affective response to another's emotions and actions; 2) the cognitive processing of one's affective response and the other person's perspective; and 3) the conscious decision-making to take empathic action. Mirrored affective responses are involuntary, while cognitive processing and conscious decision-making are voluntary. The affective component requires healthy, neural pathways to function appropriately and accurately. The cognitive aspects of perspective-taking, self-awareness, and emotion regulation can be practiced and cultivated, particularly through the use of mindfulness techniques. Empathic action requires that we move beyond affective responses and cognitive processing toward utilizing social work values and knowledge to inform our actions. By introducing the proposed model of empathy, we hope it will serve as a catalyst for discussion and future research and development of the model.

Key Words: Empathy, Social Empathy, Social Cognitive Neuroscience

Summary This study explored the manifestation of reflective ability, emotional intelligence and empathy in 120 women social workers in Tiruchirappalli, India. A cross-sectional quantitative design was used and the Emotional Intelligence Scale, Groningen Reflective Ability Scale and the Empathy Assessment Index were administered to assess the manifestation of these dimensions. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify predictors of empathy. Findings Based on mean scores, the majority of respondents were classified as being 'high' in terms of emotional intelligence and reflective ability. Respondents of different age groups showed a significant difference in terms of the manifestation of empathy. Age, self-reflection and appraisal and expression of emotions were extracted as significant predictors of empathy. Application The article discusses the importance of these professional attributes for effective practice and the role of academic institutions and social work organisations in fostering the development of these dimensions in social work practitioners.

AbstractThis article describes some of the pitfalls of empathy as a tool for supporting intergroup solidarity and examines how best to navigate these pitfalls. In cases where racial injustice is structural and complex, those who are not directly targeted by an injustice may fail to appropriately recognize and respond to injustice, undermining the political solidarity required to make social change. This deficiency in moral knowledge and motivation raises the question of whether relying on empathy in cases of racial injustice could actually be undermining anti-racism. The article describes two ways in which empathy tends to fail as a moral-epistemic tool for recognizing and responding to racial injustice: centering the privileged perspective and generalized projecting. Nevertheless, we should avoid drawing the conclusion that empathy has no place in coalitional politics. This article draws a distinction between transitory empathy, which is experienced as a passing moment in time, and accretionary empathy, which is developed over an extended period of time. The practices associated with transitory empathy are more susceptible to failure, while the practices associated with accretionary empathy can make vital contributions to intergroup solidarity.

Extensive research indicates that individuals in helping professions such as nursing must be empathic. The purpose of this study was to design and assess the effectiveness of an empathy-training program for hospital staff nurses. The nursing staff from two medical/surgical units in a large medical center participated in the study. The experimental group of nurses (n = 20) participated in an intensive training program designed to help them become more empathic and improve their interactions with patients. The control group of nurses (n = 16) did not receive any training. Pre- and posttraining measures of emotional empathy/empathic tendency were used, and results indicated that the training program enhanced nurses' empathy in the experimental group.

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- 1 The democratic promise -- 2 The deliberative turn in democratic theory -- 3 The elusive concept of empathy -- 4 Empathy in deliberative theory -- 5 Empathy's importance— the empirical evidence -- 6 Deliberative democracy and its critics -- 7 Empathy and democracy -- References -- Index

The history of humankind is full of examples that indicate a constant desire to make human beings more moral. Nowadays, technological breakthroughs might have a significant impact on our moral character and abilities. This is the case of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies. The aim of this paper is to consider the ethical aspects of the use of VR in enhancing empathy. First, we will offer an introduction to VR, explaining its fundamental features, devices and concepts. Then, we will approach the characterization of VR as an "empathy machine," showing why this medium has aroused so much interest and why, nevertheless, we do not believe it is the ideal way to enhance empathy. As an alternative, we will consider fostering empathy-related abilities through virtual embodiment in avatars. In the conclusion, however, we will examine some of the serious concerns related to the ethical relevance of empathy and will defend the philosophical case for a reason-guided empathy, also suggesting specific guidelines for possible future developments of empathy enhancement projects through VR embodied experiences. ; Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness of the Spanish Government FFI2016-79000-P PID2019-104943RB-I00 ; INPhINIT Retaining Fellowship of the La Caixa Foundation LCF/BQ/DR20/11790005

1. What is Cultural Literacy? -- 2. Cultural Literacy and the Case for Empathy -- 3. Destabilisation and Reflection -- 4. "Organic" Cultural Literacy – A Case Study -- 5. Embedding Cultural Literacy in Higher Education -- 6. Embedding the Curriculum in Cultural Literacy: Reading Across Cultures -- 7. Conclusion.