EPSE 585 Social and Emotional Development in Education

Jessica Trach

Weekly Reflection: Week 8—Caring for others?

What is empathy?

I would define empathy as strong emotional feelings that an individual experiences in

response to another person’s emotional condition. That awareness of how another
person is feeling can only be imagined, as we never really know what is going through
another person’s mind. Greenberg et al (2015) writes that by experiencing empathy, it
will “. . . contribute to personal well-being and interpersonal experiences,” as well as
develop fulfilling relationships, would be personally enriching, create a caring and
nurturing environment, and enhance the human condition. Sounds a bit like a new
shampoo.

What exactly is empathy? A student in my class continues to come up to my desk,

asking if his work is okay. He asks me to look it over, which I do, and he returns a few
minutes later with the same request. This action of his goes on every day, for every
assignment. I asked the other day why he was so worried about his work as it was very
good. He thought for a moment, looked at his hands and said in a small voice, “Mr.
Parker, I have very low self esteem. I don’t think I am very good.” At that moment, I had
such empathy for that child. I wanted to give him a hug and tell him it was going to be
okay, but couldn’t.

But where does that emotional response come from? Is it some biological reaction to a
child in distress that triggers a whole range of emotions and feelings towards the child?
The need and want by adults to ensure a child is safe must be some prehistoric instinct
build into adults. Or is it just the role of a teacher to want to help in the development and
growth of a child through some rough times in their lives? Or some combination of both
instinct and learned concern for others?

Compassion seems to be based on the idea of concern for an individual who is suffering
and our want to help relieve that suffering. For example, a man (Adam Blackburn) was
stabbed while living in a tent village in a Vancouver park. The man lay bleeding badly
and calling for help for eight hours before someone came to his aide. He was on the TV
news last night talking about how although recovering from his wounds, he still has no
where to live. A “GoFundMe” page has been started up by people who want to help
relieve this man’s suffering and donate money to help him get back on his feet.
The 14th Dalai Lama writing about compassion (Compassion and the Individual) states,
“It is because our own human existence is so dependent on the help of others that our
need for love lies at the very foundation of our existence. Therefore, we need a genuine
sense of responsibility and a sincere concern for the welfare of others.” Which seems to
hold true in the case of Adam Blackburn, as people feel compassion and empathy for
him.

So, where does empathy and compassion come from? Is it a learned response or a
natural occurring human condition? Greenberg et al (2015) writes that, “There is a clear
consensus that empathy has a biological basis and that children experience a simple
form of empathic reaction in the first years of life.” And Roeser et al (2018) promotes the
idea that some parents who model kindness and compassion for their children, in those
early formative years, are planting the seeds of sympathy for later in life. The child’s
interaction with schools, teachers, and other children help to develop the growth of
feelings of compassion and empathy.

It would appear, that we are hardwired to have empathy and compassion for our fellow
man, but that it needs to be encouraged by parents, schools, teachers, and other
people. As the 14th Dalai Lama says, “our own human existence is so dependent on the
help of others.” As we grow into adulthood it becomes our own responsibility to continue
the growth of our abilities to show compassion and empathy for others.

We can choose to continue to teach ourselves to be more compassionate and empathic

towards other as we grow older. Or we can choose to follow the path of hate and
discrimination against others to make our selves look and appear more important. There
was no reason for Adam Blackburn to have had to endure eight hours of pain and
suffering alone in a park in Vancouver.