We seem to instinctively crave information that confirms our biases. Rather than learning knowable things, we shrink inside ourselves and hunker down with the familiar, comfortable information that feeds our narrative of what we think we know, of how we think the world works. Students do not naturally know how to open up their perspective to other…

The proliferation of digital media and social networking software highlighted the need for scholars to identify what has been coined "New Literacies". This thinking recognizes that being literate in a digitized world means navigating and interpreting multiple contexts and complex interactions of identification as people communicate, interact, and…

According to an influential view, empathy has, and should have, a role in ethics, but it is by no means clear what is meant by "empathy", and why exactly it is supposed to be morally good. Recently, Peter Goldie has challenged that view. He shows how problematic empathy is, and argues that taking an external perspective is morally…

Defining moral imagining as the ability to universalize and to understand a situation from another person's perspective, the author discusses the conditions of learning to be imaginative, as well as the relations of moral imagining to sympathy, compassion, and concern. (Author/SJL)

Discusses the exhortation to teachers--"Know your students"--as requiring not only knowing that students feel certain ways but also knowing what it is like to have such feelings. Five distinct senses of "feeling the same way" are identified and discussed in pedagogical contexts. (Author/RDN)

Demonstrates how oral interpretation scholars can enrich their understanding of the empathic process. Analyzes several concepts of empathy in social cognition research and relates them to various processes interpreters have identified as empathic. Discusses pedagogical implications. (PD)

Recommends that teachers be more empathetic with their students, treating them as they would wish to be treated themselves. Compares classroom teaching with teacher education classes. (NKA)

Discusses ways of helping children learn to care for one another. Notes that even very young children respond with empathy to others' expressed distress. Explores ways to enhance children's natural empathy in terms of empathy as identification, as communication, as a caring act, as a moral act, and as respect. (DLH)

Although the role that empathy plays in communication transactions is an important one, there is a great deal of confusion surrounding that term as it is used in the field of communication. Empathy may be best defined as a process consisting of 3 stages: (1) decentering, which requires a shift in focus or multiple perspectives; (2) role-taking,…

A review of communication research was conducted to (1) describe and clarify the nature of empathy, (2) investigate the construct of assertiveness, (3) posit a possible relationship between empathy and assertiveness, and (4) provide possible suggestions for future research. The literature indicates that conceptualizations of empathy primarily…

Empathic distress refers to the empathic response to another's pain, anxiety, or sadness. Empathic distress must be viewed as only one component of a person's response when observing someone in distress. Studies of empathy should be designed to rule out or control the non-empathic components insofar as possible. The importance of perception and…

When assessing the influence of empathy on prosocial motivation, analyzing empathy alone would lead to a misunderstanding. We must also assess other elements of the situation, such as the altruist's coping skills and situational constraints. In a similar manner empathy itself should be conceptualized as a process with many elements. One way to…

A developmental model for an empathy-based prosocial motive is presented. The framework of the model is presented in terms of three components of empathy. The first component, empathic affective arousal, is discussed and six involuntary psychological mechanisms which underlie it are described briefly. These mechanisms, in the order in which they…

Some ethical issues associated with use of disability simulations as a teaching tool in college-level courses on individuals with disabilities are discussed. Issues include maximizing authenticity of the experience, the value of confronting difficult situations; teacher responsibility to various constituencies, and relevance of simulations. (MSE)

Discusses child peer relationships in relation to teacher's role; object-conflict, sharing, and cooperation; causal, consequential, and alternative thinking; inferring and responding to emotions; perspective taking and empathy; and initiating friendship and group entry. Claims that children's discussion documents their growing understanding of…