Directions:
How does emotional capacity develop? How can it be strengthened? Read the text and find out the answers.
How empathy originates and develops
1 The moment Hope, just nine months old, saw another baby fall, tears welled up in her own eyes. She crawled off to be comforted by her mother, as though it were she who had been hurt. And 15-month-old Michael went to get his own teddy bear for his crying friend Paul; when Paul kept crying, Michael fetched Paul's security blanket for him. Both these small acts of caring were observed by mothers trained to record such incidents of empathy in action. The results of the study suggest that the roots of empathy can be traced to infancy. Virtually from the day they were born, infants are upset when they hear another infant crying – a response some researchers see as the earliest form of empathy. 2 Psychologists have found that infants feel sympathetic distress even before they realize that they exist separately from other people. Even a few months after birth, infants react to a disturbance in those around them as though it were their own, like crying when they see another child's tears. By one year or so, they start to realize the misery is not their own but someone else's, though they still seem confused over what to do about it. In research by Martin L. Hoffman at New York University, for example, a one-year-old brought his own mother over to comfort a crying friend, ignoring the friend's mother nearby. This confusion is seen too when one-year-olds imitate the distress of someone else, possibly to help comprehend what they are feeling. For instance, when another baby hurt his fingers, a one-year-old put her own fingers in her mouth to see if she hurt, too. On seeing his mother cry, one baby wiped his own eyes, though there were no tears. 3 Such motor mimicry, as it is called, is an original form of empathy. The term "empathy" was first used in 1909 by psychologist E. B. Titchener. His theory was that empathy came from a physical imitation of the distress of another person. This imitation created the same feelings in oneself. He sought a word that would be distinct from "sympathy," which can be felt without sharing the same feelings. 4 Motor mimicry fades from toddlers' behavior at around two and a half years of age. At this point they realize that someone else's pain is different from their own, and are better able to comfort them. Here is a typical incident from a mother's diary. A neighbor's baby cries and Jenny approaches and tries to give him some cookies. She follows him around and begins to cry to herself. She then tries to stroke his hair, but he pulls away ... He calms down, but Jenny still looks worried. She continues to bring him toys and to pat his head and shoulders. 5 At this point in their development, toddlers begin to differ from one another in their overall sensitivity to other people's emotional upsets. Some, like Jenny, become keenly aware while others tune out. Studies by Marian Radke-Yarrow and Carolyn Zahn-Waxler showed that much of this difference was related to how parents disciplined their children. They found that children are more empathic when they are made to see the effect of their behavior on others: "Look how sad you've made her!" instead of "That was naughty." They found too that children's empathy is shaped by seeing how others react when someone else is distressed. By imitating what they see, children develop a range of empathic responses, especially when helping other people who are distressed. 6 While it is easier to train a person from childhood to be empathic, it is also possible for adults to increase their levels of empathy. Ways to improve empathy may include reading fiction to practice understanding characters' actions from their points of view, listening attentively to understand how others think and feel, and trying to understand people outside our community to broaden our application of empathy. For example, we may empathize with people anxious about tests by listening carefully to their frustrations and fears. We could also share how we regulate our own anxiety to encourage them to develop effective self-regulation strategies. 7 The ability to empathize allows us to have compassion for and relate to loved ones, co-workers, and even strangers. By understanding what others are thinking and feeling, we are able to build social connections with them, which is important for both physical and psychological well-being. 原
文
文
01:37 / 06:42
译
注
词
1.2x
字号
背景
