http://outrospection.org roman krznaric's empathy blog Wed, 02 Jun 2010 04:59:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://outrospection.org/about-2/comment-page-1#comment-174 Empathy | Evolutivity Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:35:01 +0000 http://outrospection.org/?page_id=4#comment-174 [...] Empathising is an everyday activity so commonplace we often hardly realise we are doing it. Empathy involves understanding the values, experiences, emotional concerns, beliefs and aspirations that shape someone’s worldview, and is reflected in phrases like ‘I see what you mean’ or ‘I know where you’re coming from’. If you have a friend who has just been abandoned by her lover, you may naturally find yourself thinking about the pain she might be feeling or her sense of rejection and vulnerability. By doing so, you are empathising, attempting to see the situation from her viewpoint, rather than your own. Or perhaps you have a work colleague who is failing to meet his deadlines but you know that his mother is descending into Alzheimer’s and his thoughts are elsewhere, so you decide not to pressure him. Again, you are empathising. >>> [...] [...] Empathising is an everyday activity so commonplace we often hardly realise we are doing it. Empathy involves understanding the values, experiences, emotional concerns, beliefs and aspirations that shape someone’s worldview, and is reflected in phrases like ‘I see what you mean’ or ‘I know where you’re coming from’. If you have a friend who has just been abandoned by her lover, you may naturally find yourself thinking about the pain she might be feeling or her sense of rejection and vulnerability. By doing so, you are empathising, attempting to see the situation from her viewpoint, rather than your own. Or perhaps you have a work colleague who is failing to meet his deadlines but you know that his mother is descending into Alzheimer’s and his thoughts are elsewhere, so you decide not to pressure him. Again, you are empathising. >>> [...]

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