Cultivating Empathy - 3-Minute Video with Transcript, Discussion Questions, and Selected References

 

Discussion Questions

1. How would you describe your level of empathy right now? 

2. How would you describe the level of empathy in your school?

3. Where have you seen compassionate empathy during the COVID-19 crisis - in your home, in your community, or in the nation?

4. In light of current events, which element of empathy do you feel is most difficult for people? Why is that?

1st Frame:

Hello! I’m Julie McDaniel-Muldoon, Safety and Well-Being Consultant at Oakland Schools. I created the Supportive Strategies Series with 3-minute episodes of strategies I think might be helpful to you, especially during this extraordinary time. These short and sweet episodes are based on research and best practice. Episode 5: Cultivating Empathy. Let’s begin.

2nd Frame:

To explore empathy we need to understand where it lives within social-emotional core competencies. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning describe these competencies self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Empathy lives in the social competencies, requiring us to understand ourselves before we understand others.

 3rd Frame:

Teresa Wiseman has helped us understand the 4 elements of empathy. 1st, we must see the world as others see it. 2nd, we accept others without judgment. 3rd, we understand another’s feelings. 4th, we are able to communicate this understanding. Brene Brown teaches us that "Empathy is communicating that incredibly healing message of 'You're not alone.'" 

4th Frame:

Daniel Goleman has pushed our thinking to describe three different types of empathy. Cognitive empathy lives in the executive functioning part of our brain and is dependent upon our thoughts, understanding, and intellect. Emotional empathy lives in the limbic system, starts with our mirror neurons, and relies on our senses and feelings. Compassionate Empathy requires both emotional and cognitive empathy but goes deeper. It motivates us to take action on someone else’s behalf. Compassion is empathy is action.  As Goleman suggests, “With this kind of empathy we not only understand a person’s predicament and feel with them, but are spontaneously moved to help, if needed.” 

5th Frame:

We cultivate empathy -By empathizing with students -By modeling empathy -By making caring for others a priority -By setting high ethical expectations -By practice, practice, practice

In an online environment,

-Use live video and chat whenever possible -Practice and model self-compassion -Link content to empathy whenever possible -Be mindful of pace

Final Frame:

 All of this content is based on solid research and best practice. Please contact me for selected references, more resources, and suggestions for topics for future episodes. julie.mcdaniel@oakland.k12.mi.us

Selected References

Goleman, D. (2017). Empathic concern. Retrieved from https://www.edge.org/response-detail/27176.

Goleman, D. (March 1, 2008). Hot to help: When can empathy move us to action?  Retrieved from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/hot_to_help.

McDaniel-Muldoon, J.E. (2019, September 17). The Complexity of Empathy. International Bullying Prevention Association Blog and News. https://ibpaworld.org/blog/the-complexity-of-empathy/.

The RSA (2013, December 10). Brene Brown on empathy. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXSjc-pbXk4&feature=emb_title&disable_polymer=true.

Sevilla, V.J. (2019, June 23). Teaching empathy in an online class. ELearning Industry. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/empathy-development-teaching-online-class.

Wiseman, Theresa. (1996). A concept analysis of empathy. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 23. 1162 - 1167. 10.1046/j.1365-2648.1996.12213.x.

Empathy and the Amazing Mirror Neurons

In Born for Love, Maia Szalavitz and Bruce Perry explain that we are born with foundational skills that allow us to learn empathy. Babies have the ability to imitate facial expressions, and they have an automatic response of crying when other babies cry. These two skills probably engage a cluster of brain cells called "mirror neurons." 

The study of mirror neurons is still young, but it has already given us some insight into human behavior in social settings. As Szalavitz and Perry describe, "Mirror neurons fire when you do something - but more important, they also fire in a less intense fashion when you see someone else do the same thing." Neuroscience researchers from the UK explain that mirror neurons fire in the person doing the action, and they fire also in the person observing the action. Whether you are doing something or whether you are watching it being done, the mirror neurons are active. 

So how does the study of mirror neurons help us understand the development of empathy? We learn empathy by watching others show empathy. It is a compassionate response, an act of kindness that fires the mirror neurons. 

Here is an example: A young man sees an elderly woman struggling to get her groceries into the car. He sees her struggle and begins to feel empathy toward her situation. As he goes to her and assists her, his mirror neurons are activated. The brain is responding to his compassionate actions. Amazingly, the mirror neurons of anyone witnessing the exchange also responds, although to a lesser degree. The woman herself experiences an emotional and cognitive response. So, in an act of kindness the person who comes to another's assistance and anyone witnessing the situation experiences the same empathetic cognitive response. Again, mirror neurons respond to action or by observing action. 

As neuroscientist Vittorio Gallese explains, "It seems we're wired to see other people as similar to us, rather than different,,,As humans we identify the person we're facing as someone like ourselves." When our children see us in situations where we are helping, comforting, and supporting, their mirror neurons fire, and they begin to understand what it feels like to be there for someone else. By our acts of compassion, we are helping our children develop empathy. 

“It is an absolute human certainty that no one can know his own beauty or 

perceive a sense of his own worth 

until it has been reflected back to him in the mirror of 

another loving, caring human being.” 

~John Joseph Powell