LESSON 3: DEVELOPING

CONCERNS FOR
OTHERS.
OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the lesson the students must be

able to:
• Describe the concept of empathy and
compassion.
• Demonstrate empathy and compassion within
and Beyond the family in everyday life.
 Heal the world
INTRODUCTION
Make it a better place

• Michael Jackson For you and for me

popularized the And the entire human

song “Heal the race

World” and some There are people dying

lines run like this: If you care enough for
the living
Make it a better place
For you and for me
• Imagine a world without the
frontliners, during pandemic. Imagine
a world without the countless
individuals who risked heir own lives
to save others during wartime.
Imagine a world without those who’ve
run into burning buildings or executed
other heroic feats of rescue during
• Evolutionary biologists have shown that
human beings are social animals who
have naturally evolved to care for each
other. Psychology, as well, points out
that we are primed for empathy by
strong attachment relationships in the
first two years of life.
 EMPATHY
• Empathy is at the heart of what it
means to be HUMAN The concept of
empathy is used to refer to a wide
range of psychological capacities
that are thought of as being central
for constituting humans as social
creatures: allowing us to know what
other people. Are thinking and
feeling, to engage with them
emotionally, to share their thoughts
and feelings and to care for their
well- being.
Having empathy. Increases the likelihood of
helping others and showing compassion. It is the
ability to recognize, understand, and share the
thoughts and feelings of another person, animal
or fictional character.
Empathy helps us cooperate with others, build
friendships, make moral decisions and intervene
when we see others being bullied. It is vital in
building successful interpersonal relationships of
all types, in the family unit, workplace, and
beyond.
Empathy helps us connect and help others, but
like other traits, there is the danger that it may
THERE ARE THREE KINDS OF EMPATHY
ACCORDING TO THE DANIEL
GOLEMAN’S ARTICLE ENTITLED “THREE
KINDS OF EMPATHY
Cognitive empathy
Cognitive empathy
This is simply knowing how the other
This is simply knowing how the other person
person feels and what they might be
feels and what they might be thinking.
thinking.
Cognitive empathy, also known as
Cognitive empathy, also known as empathic
empathic accuracy, involves having more
accuracy,
complete and involves havingabout
accurate knowledge more complete and
the contents of another person’s mind,
accurate knowledge about the
including how the person feels. Cognitive
contents of
another
empathy is person’s mind,
more like a skill. including
Humans learn how the
to recognize and understand others’
person feels. Cognitive empathy is more like a
emotional state as a way to process.
skill. Humans
Emotions learn to recognize and
and behavior.
understand others’ emotional state as a way to
process. Emotions and behavior.
• Emotional empathy
This happens when the person feels physically along
with the other person, as though their emotions were
contagious.
Emotional empathy includes three components:
A. The first is feeling the same motion as another
person.
B. The second is personal distress which refers to
one’s onw feelings of distress in response to
• Compassionate empathy
With this kind of empathy we not only
understand a person’s predicament and
feel with them, but spontaneously
moved to help, if needed.
How do we develop
Empathy?
• Empathize with your child and
model empathy for others. • Make caring for others
Children learn empathy both from a priority and set high
watching us and from experiencing ethical expectations.
our empathy for them. If children are to value
Empathizing with our children takes others perspectives and
many forms, including tuning in to show compassion for them,
their physical and emotional needs, it’s very important that they
understanding and respecting their hear from their parents that
individual personalities. caring about others is a top
Children also learn empathy by priority, and that it is just as
watching those we notice and important as their own
appreciate. They’ll notice how we happiness.
 • Expand your child’s circle of
• Provide
concern.
opportunities for
children to practice It is easy for us and the children
empathy. show empathy for family to
members, relatives, close friends
Children are born with
but the real issue is whether
the capacity for
children (and adults) have
empathy, but it needs to
empathy outside that circle.
be nurtured throughout
Appreciation. It’s important that
their lives. Learning
we guide children in
empathy is in certain
understanding and caring for
respects like learning a
many kinds of people who are
language or a sport. It
different from them and who
• Help children develop self-control and
manage feelings effectively.
Often when children don’t express empathy it’s not
because they don’t have it It’s because some feeling
image is blocking their empathy. Often the ability to
care for others overwhelmed, for example.by anger,
shame, envy, or other negative feelings.
TEACHERS RAISING CHILDREN WITH
EMPATHY
• The Making Caring Camino Prject) of Harvard University
Graduate School of Education likewise came up with
research-based strategies to help educators promote
culture of empathy within their schools. It his been
found out that when young people are high in empathy
they have more classroom engagement higher
academic achievement, better communication skills.
Lower likelihood of bullying less aggressive behaviors
and emotional disorders and have more positive
relationships.
 FIVE ESSENTIAL STEPS TO USE IN
SCHOOLS
• Model Empathy
It all starts with the teacher. When
frustrated with learners, pause
and take a deep breath and try to • Teach what empathy is
see the situation from their and why it matters.
perspective. Before responding Clearly and concretely explain
When a learner is upset, reflect that empathy means
back his feelings or the rationale understanding and caring
for his behavior before redirecting about another person’s
the behavior. feelings and king action to
help Explain how it improves
the classroom and school.
• Practice
Create opportunities to
practice taking another’s
perspective and imagining • Set clear expectations.
what others are thinking.
Be clear that you expect
Play charades and do role
students to care about one
plays, read and discuss
another and the entire
books and use “what
school community. Don’t
would you do” style
just put it in the mission
vignettes or case studies
statement or on pester talk
shout it, model it, praise it
and held students to it.
• Makes school culture and climate a
priority.
Make an annual survey of leaners and
teachers feelings whether they feel safe,
respected, and cared about at school. Take
time to examine the data and make efforts to
address problem areas identified by the
learners and staff.
 COMPASSION

• Compassion is a relational process that involves

noticing another person’s pain, experiencing an
emotional reaction to his or her pain, and acting in
some way to help ease or alleviate the pain.
Compassion is usually aroused when requires a
certain level of awareness concern and empathy.
 COMPASSION DEFICIT DISORDER

• What is compassion deficit disorder? The child’s

tendency to act without empathy or regard for
others. Diane Levin, a Boston professor of early
childhood education, introduced the concept of
compassion deficit disorder which seems to be
displayed by children especially of the young
generation.
 ACCORDING TO HER, THE COMPASSION
DEFICIT DISORDER CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO:
• Children are spending • Children’s exposure to
increasing amounts of violent and anti-social
time with more and more models can teach them
technology and screen anti-social lessons that
exposure at a young and they bring to their
younger age. This results relationships.
in their lack of
opportunity to develop
social skills.
• Children play with toys that
are realistic replicas of what
they see on screen. These
toys can trigger children to • Many families are
imitate what they saw on experiencing stress that they
television rather than resort to the screen or
encouraging them to technology to occupy their
engage in the rich, creative children and would need not
play of childhood. spend a lot of time watching
over them. They become
occupied with what they
watch, behave and pose no
• There are also instances that parents
structure too much what they want their
children to engage in. This pre- vents the
child to organize or learn to organize
activities that can enhance interactions
with other children.
• The development of • During the second year,
empathy develops at kids actively offer help.
different stages of the Parents actively
child’s life. The encouraging this helping
development of empathy behavior reinforces their
is necessary for desire to continue it.
compassionate behavior Praising the behavior and
to develop as well. reinforcing the effect that
Teaching compassion, the compassion has on
therefore, starts at birth. the recipient is further
In the first year, kids reinforcement
• By year three, kids become • Empathy for another’s
aware that the feelings of living conditions are
others can be different from developed in late
their own feelings. This childhood or early
change comes with a adolescence.
deeper understanding of Understanding that
language. The more words a another person’s feelings
child can use in explaining might not be based
empathy and the actions of around a current situation,
compassion, the deeper the but rather their more
understanding of its lasting life situation
importance will be. develops in this stage of