Center for Building a Culture of Empathy

   Home    Conference   Magazine   Empathy Tent   Services    Newsletter   Facebook    Youtube   Contact   Search

Join the International Conference on: How Might We Build a Culture of Empathy and Compassion?

   

Empathic Design
Empathy Circles

  Restorative Empathy Circles
Empathy Tent
Training
Conference
Magazine

Expert Interviews
Obama on Empathy

References

    Books
    Conferences
    Definitions
    Experts
(100+)
    History
    Organizations
    Quotations
    Empathy Tests

Blog Roll Continued: Previous  < 5 > Next

<Home> < 8 > < 7 > < 6 > < 5 > < 4 > < 3 > < 2 > < 1 >

 
 

Live Chat with Christian Keysers, author: The Empathic Brain

 

We talk with Christian Keysers, author of The Empathic Brain: How the Discovery of Mirror Neurons Changes our Understanding of Human Nature.
 

Mirror neurons “mirror” the behavior and emotions of
 the
people surrounding us in such a way
that the others become part of us
.
 

He is one of the few scientists that have directly studied mirror neurons. His work on the neural basis of empathy has led to publications in the most prominent scientific journals.
Sub Conference: Science

 
 

Live chat with Simon Baron-Cohen: Empathy and the Science of Evil

 


Empathy is like a universal solvent. 
Any problem immersed in empathy becomes soluble.
Empathy cannot by definition oppress anyone.
 

 

We talk with Simon Baron-Cohen, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology and Director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University. In his new book; Zero Degrees of Empathy: a New Theory of Human Cruelty (UK), The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty (US)
he calls for a redefinition of Evil as a lack of empathy.
Sub Conference: Science

 
 

Empathy, Self-Empathy and Self-Compassion 
Kristin Ne
ff

 
Kristin Neff, author of Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind, talks with Edwin about the nature of empathy, self-empathy self-compassion and compassion.

Compassion is a huge value of  mine. Now I like to use the
term
open-heartedness, because compassion tends
to be specific
to the context
of suffering.

"Compassion is a huge value of mine. Now I like to use the term open-heartedness, because compassion tends to be specific to the context of suffering. Of course we want to have open hearts in the face of suffering, but also want to have open hearts in the face of joy and when we are at our bests and have great successes and achievements. Just keep our hearts open no matter what happens, positive, negative or even neutral.  Open mind and open heart, just trying to stay open."
Sub Conference: Science

Spinning the Threads of Empathy

Miki Kashtan

 

"Miki Kashtan, Ph.D., is a co-founder of Bay Area Nonviolent Communication and serves as its lead facilitator and trainer. She is inspired by the role of visionary leadership in shaping a livable future, and works towards that vision by living, using, and sharing the principles and practice of Nonviolent Communication. " She is the author of Spinning Threads of Radical Aliveness: Transcending the Legacy of Separation in Our Individual Lives.

 

From the book,  "Although the fundamental capacity for empathy, which is part and parcel of mutual recognition, is an innate human feature, we need to receive sufficient empathy early in life to be able to attain and maintain true mutuality as well as empathic connection with ourselves and others.


After the Bath by Mary Cassatt (Wikipedia)

"Most of us have not had
 sufficient empathy early in life
"

Most of us have not had sufficient empathy early in life, and for many of us this means that our capacity for empathy gets stunted, both towards others and towards ourselves. The healing force that allows us to recover our lost capacity to connect is, once again, empathy. Empathic connection with another is an almost indispensable condition of psychic liberation. Although some individuals are able to choose strategic discomfort on their own, for the most part, the challenges of the journey are such that they require the presence of empathic others to sustain it. Without empathy, the likelihood of retreat into our comfort zone increases. With it, we are more capable of opening up to the discomfort and the painful emotions which await us on the journey.

That empathy per se is healing has become progressively more accepted. Being heard, in full, is one of the most profound experiences we humans can have, and has a transformative effect that more often than not we don't anticipate. Even a few minutes of this experience can sometimes transform seemingly intractable situations. Even after years of practicing and teaching empathy, I still find myself astonished at the immense power of it. In moments of intense conflict with someone, for example, I can still forget that the entire conflict can be dissolved in a few empathic exchanges, as has so often been the case."

Sub Conference: Compassionate Communication (NVC)

Nurturing and Teaching Empathy in Social Work
Kristen Zaleski 

 

Kristen Zaleski is professor of Social Work at the University of Southern California (USC) and also supervises new psychotherapists in the field.  She is a licensed clinical social worker providing individual and group psychotherapy for trauma, sexual assault and bereavement in Los Angeles. Her work experience includes in-patient psychiatry, in-patient medical, in-patient and out-patient oncology, and out-patient counseling for rape trauma victims.

 

"Being empathetic is a crucial skill set for social workers because...
 we aren't working with people who have had good lives."

 

Empathy is a building block of self-identity.
 


The Parable of the Good Samaritan by Jan Wijnants (wikipedia)

"Say the word "empathy" around social workers and most will recognize it as a professional "must-have," even if they can't tell you exactly what it means. Scholars also disagree about the definition of empathy and what it looks like in social work practice. According to some, empathy occurs when a person takes on the feelings of another-the sadness of losing a loved one or the joy of landing a job-as if sharing that experience. Indeed, the Social Work Dictionary defines empathy as "the act of perceiving, understanding, experiencing, and responding to the emotional state and ideas of another person" ... According to Zaleski, she and her colleagues recruited 306 graduate social work students to complete the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy."  Can Social Work Students Learn Empathy?

Empathy for Actors and Animators
Ed Hooks

Ed Hooks has been an entertainment industry professional for more than three decades. He has appeared in more than 100 television programs and films and is one of the most respected acting teachers in the United States. Since 1996, Professor Hooks created acting training specifically for animators, and his system is used by leading animation schools internationally.
 

Performance animation is all about empathy,
and we discuss it extensively in every class I teach...
To be very clear: you, as an animator, should try to
 create an empathetic response for your character.

 

A projecting praxinoscope, Wikipedia

 

"Performance animation is all about empathy, and we discuss it extensively in every class I teach. The word "empathy" is the English translation of the German "Einfuhlung", which means "to project yourself into what you observe", and it did not appear in the English language until the 1920's.  The word "sympathy" has been in use far longer, and that is why the two are at times erroneously considered interchangeable. 

Even Charlie Chaplin, the person who literally brought empathy to comedy, never used the correct word.  He said "sympathy" and meant "empathy". To be very clear:  you, as an animator, should try to create an empathetic response for your character"

Sub Conference: Arts

 
 

Empathy-Based Parenting Educators Discuss
What is the Role of Empathy in Different Parenting Styles?

Our panel of Empathy-Based Parenting Educators discuss, What is the Role of Empathy in Different Parenting Styles? Some of the styles discussed are; Authoritarian, Authoritative, Indulgent (permissive), Neglectful (uninvolved), Attachment, Nurturant and Empathic Parenting.
 

Panelists

 "there is room for all of us to have empathy for all
of these parents who are struggling, whether
 they are permissive, indulgent, authoritative,
authoritarian or absent. "


Sub Conference: Empathic Family

 

Empathic Parenting: Empathy as a Foundation of Family Life
Robbyn Peters Bennett

 

Robbyn Peters Bennett, LMHC, CMHS is a psychotherapist, educator, and child advocate who specializes in the treatment of trauma-related mental health problems resulting from the effects of early childhood stress, abuse and neglect. She is the founder of StopSpanking.org, a non-profit dedicated to educating the public on the dangers of spanking. She is on the steering committee of The U.S. Alliance to End the Hitting of Children.

 

In this dialog we talk about how science shows that we are biologically wired for empathy and how trauma can block it and ways to restore blocked empathy.  We also discuss the role of empathy in different parenting approaches.


Children Playing with a Cat, by Mary Cassatt  (wikiart.org)

" I think for some, there is a religious idea that children are innately sinful, and innately evil even maybe.  But what neuroscience is saying is that children are innately empathic. That the fundamental neurobiological orientation of the brain, is it learns though empathy and through co-regulation and that children have an innate need to connect and they have an innate need to feel good with us and to enjoy us."


Sub Conference: Empathic Family

Empathy-Based Family Life and Parenting with Love and Logic

Charles Fay

Charles Fay, Ph.D. is a parent, internationally recognized author, consultant and highly skilled public speaker. He is, President of the Love and Logic Institute, Inc. The Love and Logic Institute is dedicated to making parenting and teaching fun and rewarding, instead of stressful and chaotic. They provide practical tools and techniques that help adults achieve respectful, healthy relationships with their children. All of their work is based on a psychologically sound parenting and teaching philosophy called Love and Logic.

In this interview we discussed the role of empathy in family life, parenting and the Love and Logic parenting model.

 

"So, that's the limit's part of it. Now the other end of this
 has to do with, how do we do this without losing their love?
 That comes down to empathy. Remember that word.
When you hear Love and Logic, you think empathy. "

 

Sub Conference: Empathic Family

 
 

Panel 27 - How Might We Create More Interfaith Empathy?

With the religious based wars, murders, mayhem and chaos in the Middle East, I put together this panel discussion about how to build more empathy among the different religious groups. Our panelists are Christians, Muslims and an Atheist who are located in Iraq and the USA. I was quite surprised at how good the internet connection was with Northern Iraq.
 

Here is a summary of some of the main points of the great dialogue we had together! The four sections of this summary are:

  • The benefits of empathy,

  • Empathy is taught by all religions,

  • Some barriers to interfaith empathy

  • Ideas to foster more interfaith empathy

 

Panelists

  • Sheima Salam Sumer (IRAQ)

  • Abdulmonaim Merkt (IRAQ)

  • Amal Damaj  (USA)

  • Adam Ericksen  (USA)

  • Edwin Rutsch (USA)

Sub Conference: Interfaith

Big Empathy: Expanding, Practicing and Systemic Change Empathy
Tom Atlee

Tom Atlee is an American social, peace and environmental activist. He is author of Empowering Public Wisdom,  Reflections on Evolutionary Activism and The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World that Works for All. Tom's social change vision is grounded most deeply in new understandings of evolving wholeness which recognize the value of diversity, unity, relationship, context, uniqueness and the spirit inside each of us and the world. He has written numerous articles and blog posts about empathy. In 2014 he was given the Empathic Individualism Award Recipient from the Hawthorne Valley Center for Social Research.


"Big Empathy is about expanding our empathy to embrace
the suffering and well-being of more of life, more deeply,
 more competently, and more seamlessly
than we normally do."

 
 

Tom writes: "The co-intelligence worldview embraces empathy as a fundamental principle, while noting its limitations when framed only as an individual feeling. Empathy plays a powerful role in the wise use of intelligence.

Like intelligence, empathy can be exercised in narrow ways that result in undesirable outcomes or in enlightened ways that support wisdom. Also like intelligence, expanded forms of empathy can be embedded in cultures and social systems to generate wiser collective outcomes.

Tom Atlee's major essay Big Empathy proposes that we need to expand our empathy in three ways:

1. widen our "circle of care" to include more beings of more species over greater time periods;
2. become better practitioners of empathy; and
3. embed empathy in our cultures and social systems."

Sub Conference: Empathy Movement Building

How to Build a Culture of Empathy
Sylvia Morelli

Sylvia Morelli is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab at Stanford University. In her current research, she examines the neural and behavioral basis of empathy and perspective-taking, as well as the neural responses associated with feeling understood by others.

 

We held a wide ranging discussion about the nature of empathy, and her work on researching it.  In a recent study and paper, Sylvia explored the neural and behavioral consequences of feeling understood.

 


Bonding between a mother and child
(Wikipedia)

research has demonstrated that feeling understood by
 others enhances social closeness and intimacy,
as well as subjective well-being
 

Sylvia says, when we are understood, or empathized with, the pleasure centers of the brain light up. In other words, being empathized with feels good. "Behavioral research has demonstrated that feeling understood by others enhances social closeness and intimacy, as well as subjective well-being. In contrast, feeling misunderstood can be harmful to social relationships, leading to loneliness and isolation. However, it is still unclear why and how felt understanding exerts such a powerful impact on both interpersonal and intrapersonal well-being" 
Sub Conference: Science: Neuroscience

 
 

 Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy 
 Marco Iacoboni

 

Author: Mirroring People: The New Science of Empathy and How We Connect with Others
 


Tragic Comic Masks Hadrian's Villa mosaic  (Wikipedia)

Because mirror neurons re-create for us the distress
we see on the screen. We have empathy for the
 fictional characters - we know how they feel -
because we literally experience the
same feelings ourselves. 

Sub Conference: Science: Neuroscience

Emotional Intelligence: Going On An Empathy Adventure
Susan Stillman

Susan Stillman is Director of Education at Six Seconds, The Emotional Intelligence Network, Institute for Social Innovation. Through the Six Seconds website, she is hosting the  Empathy Adventure over a six weeks period.

Susan writes, "Empathy is one of the vital competencies of the 21st century. Empathy is related to collaboration, building trust, problem solving, health, and peaceful resolution of conflict. It is an essential component of leadership and critical to success in business and education. Empathy and compassion may even be key to the survival of the human race.

" Empathy and compassion may even be key
to the survival of the human race."


Formation Skydiving (Wikipedia)

Empathy can be viewed even more broadly as compassionate action. So we're inviting you to this Empathy Adventure - where we'll come together online to discuss the many types of empathy and then perform a few simple acts of empathy that will ripple out to many others. Through personal stories of group members and empathy "experts," the group will develop a deep awareness of empathy. We'll observe what happens when we invite empathy to be more present in our lives, and document the way it affects us and our interaction with others. Over approximately six weeks, the project will follow these three stages..."
Sub Conference: Education

 Try Walking in My Shoes:
Empathy and Portrayals of Mental Illness on Screen

Fincina Hopgood

Fincina Hopgood is co-convenor of the symposium Try Walking in My Shoes: Empathy and Portrayals of Mental Illness on Screen, presented by The Dax Centre and The ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions, to be held at The University of Melbourne, on February 13 and 14, 2014.


 "I was keen to return to the study of empathy

and explore this more fully from an

interdisciplinary perspective"

 


Eight women representing prominent mental diagnoses - Armand Gautie  (Wikipedia)
 

Fincina writes, "The significance of this empathetic relationship between the character on screen and the viewer lies in its ability to help us see the world from a perspective that may be different from our own. In this way, empathy provides insight and can lead to greater understanding.

 

My cinema studies PhD examined the portrayal of mental illness in a selection of feature films from Australia and New Zealand. While empathy was a key concept in my thesis, this focus only emerged in the final stages of research and writing (as happens so often in the PhD journey!). I was keen to return to the study of empathy and explore this more fully from an interdisciplinary perspective, looking beyond how film studies scholars have used the concept thus far, towards theorisations of empathy in history, psychology and philosophy."

 Empathy and the Network of Spiritual Progressives
Cat Zavis

Cat Zavis is the Executive Director of the Network of Spiritual Progressives and a collaborative divorce attorney, mediator, coach, and conflict resolution, Empathic Communication trainer. She has been hosting empathy trainings and co-lead a workshop called, 'Grieving for Israel and Palestine: a training on how empathy can become a path to Middle East peace'
 

Cat writes, "I sometimes feel a sense of hopelessness at the current situation and know many people don't have any idea what to do to stop this madness, nonetheless I am now working to expand our Network of Spiritual Progressives to help spread a different worldview and to bring a voice of compassion and empathy to the situation..."

 


Part of The Good Samaritan by Rembrandt (1630) (Wikipedia)


 I am now working to expand our Network of Spiritual Progressives
to help spread a different worldview and to bring
a voice of compassion and empathy

 

The Network of Spiritual Progressives welcomes secular humanists, atheists and people who are "spiritual but not religious" as well as people from every religious community who share the values of love, generosity, creativity, wonder and a commitment to respect one another. Spirituality is personal but not a private matter; it is about how we treat each other and how we live our lives.

Empathic Co-Design Masterclass: the Necessity of Empathy
Cindy van den Bremen

Designer Cindy van den Bremen was born in 1972 in Vlissingen, a town in the south-west of the Netherlands by the Sea. From an early age she developed a broad interest in other cultures and religions. Cindy works independent from her studio CvdBremen in Eindhoven as an Empathic Designer with an expertise in Cultural Diversity and teaches at the Technical University in her hometown at the Faculty of Industrial Design. She gives lectures, presentations & workshops to a variety of audiences both national and internationally, both in the Dutch and English language.

 

Cindy teaches a design workshop titled, Masterclass - the necessity of Empathy. From the workshop description, "Designing is the ability to empathize with others. As the title would assume this lecture and workshop focused on empathy and the necessity of the added value of empathy in co-design processes. How does empathy help you in co-design projects? How can you apply it and how can it be an inspiration in your concept development?

 

These themes were discussed and experienced in an interactive and inspiring afternoon. I realized the complexity of empathy and importance of finding a common ground. When working with a user to make sure that he or she can find their own goal and inner motivation."

 

 
The Vitruvian Man, Leonardo da Vinci (Wikipedia)


"Designing is the ability to empathize with others...
How does empathy help you in co-design projects?
How can you apply it and how can it be an inspiration in

your concept development?"
 


Sub Conference: Human-Centered Design

The Practice of Empathy-Based Management
George Langelett 

George Langelett is a professor of management and economics at South Dakota State University in Brookings. He teaches classes in management, small business management, human resource management, marketing research, and macroeconomics. George is author of How Do I Keep My Employees Motivated? The Practice of Empathy-Based Management.

 

From the book description, "Every person in your organization desires to be understood and accepted. The purpose of this book is to teach you how to empathize with each of your employees, and create a better work environment. When work days become mundane, you will learn how to create a sense of connection with your employees. During stressful times, you can display empathy to calm and reassure each employee, so that they can think clearly and problem solve.

 

How Do I Keep My Employees Motivated? provides clear, specific techniques that teach you how to empathize and create an atmosphere where everyone working for you feels accepted and understood. Through empathy you will be able to create an environment that results in professional growth."

 


Detail of Diego Rivera fresco, 'Detroit Industry, or Man and Machine' (Wikipedia)

 

"My purpose in writing this book is to explain the

importance of empathy in management practices

and how managers can learn to apply empathy

 in order to alter the work environment in a

positive manner for everyone involved."
 

Sub Conference: Workplace, Management and Business

Be Another Lab - Empathy through technology, science, and art.
Arthur Pointeau, Philippe Bertrand and Edwin Rutsch

 

BE ANOTHER LAB is an interdisciplinary art collective dedicated to investigate embodied and telepresence experiments. We believe that the understanding of the "self" is related to the understanding of the "Other" and that more than individuals, we are part of a broader system called humanity. Under this perspective, we search for innovative possibilities on the concepts of embodied interaction, extended body and extended mind by mixing low-budget digital technology with social relations, Web and also neuroscientist methodologies.
 


 

The goal of Be Another Lab is to explore
 the concepts of empathy through
technology, science, and art.
 

 

Arthur Pointeau
Programmer seeking the empowerment of individuals and communities by digital means. He likes to work in interdisciplinary environments where science, humanities and technology meet and stimulate each other.

  Philippe Bertrand
Interdisciplinary artist, investigator, activist. Interested in interactive narratives and 2.0 tools of social intervention.

We develop Creative Commons tools based on OpenKnowledge and are collaborating with experimental psychologists and neurologists to develop usage procedures to 'the machine' as a low-budget rehabilitation system, and also as an immersive role playing system.
Sub Conference: Arts

How to Build a Culture of Empathy with Children's Books
Anne Paris

Anne Paris, PhD, author of Standing at Water's Edge: Moving Past Fear, Blocks, and Pitfalls to Discover the Power of Creative Immersion, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has practiced psychotherapy for over 25 years, and has specialized in working with artists, trauma victims, couples, and parents.

 

Leonid Pasternak (Wikipedia)
 

Through empathic encounters, immersive connections
can ultimately diminish feelings of aloneness
while strengthening the persons core...

I believe one of your major tasks in moving
through the creative process is finding a way
to be more empathic with your own experience.

 

Also, Anne is coauthor (text) with Marian Brickner (photography) of  Empathy Magic: Insides Out. A new book that is a fun and whimsical way to introduce young children to EMPATHY. Stunning photographs of bonobo apes illustrate what empathy is, and how empathy helps build good relationships with family and friends. Cute, fun, and engaging. A wonderful tool to help facilitate social skills development, as well as to prevent later problems such as bullying, school violence, and depression. Geared towards children aged 3-7.
Sub Conference: Home & Family and Arts

 
 

April 27, 2013: @ California Student Sustainability Coalition’s Spring 2013 Convergence
                                          at UC Berkeley in Dwinelle Plaza

     
We held ongoing Empathy Circle and Empathic Listening Trainings

 I stopped by your tent, and I just wanted to say thank you.
The Empathy Tent was incredible to experience.
And I will use the tools you taught me
 for the rest of my life.

" I was a student at the California Student Sustainability Coalition this weekend and I stopped by your tent, and I just wanted to say thank you. The Empathy tent was incredible to experience. And I will use the tools you taught me for the rest of my life."

 
 
April 23, 2013, Tuesday: UC Berkeley, Sproul Plaza - First Day of the Empathy Tent

 
The Empathy Tent
We'll have dialogue, music, art, empathic listening,
 empathy circles, dancing, Frisbee, soccer,
good company, yoga, meditation,
singing, and more.

Video and pictures of our first day at Sproul Plaza.  Please join us today, Tuesday April 23rd, for our Space on Sproul event, from 10 AM to 4 PM. Look for the big white empathy canopy and a group of people having a great time. We'll have dialogue, music, art, empathic listening, empathy circles, dancing, frisbee, soccer, good company, yoga, meditation, singing, and more. Feel free to stop by at any time, and bring a musical instrument, or an activity, or just bring yourself.

 
 

Empathy Circle Trainings
UC Berkeley, Sproul Plaza


Edwin will be on the lawn in Sproul Plaza, at UC Berkeley
 doing ongoing Empathic Listening and
Empathy Circle trainings with
 anyone that drops by.
 

How to Build a Culture of Empathy
  Maureen O'Hara

Maureen O'Hara is Professor in the Psychology Department at National University, La Jolla, CA and President Emerita of Saybrook Graduate School, San Francisco. Working with American psychologist Carl R. Rogers, she helped develop the Person-Centered Approach to psychotherapy and large group process.  

 

More recently her writings have examined the relationship between the "big picture" changes underway and internal psychological adaptation. Combining her background as psychotherapist, organizational consultant and futurist, Maureen is a frequent keynote speaker nationally and internationally on the evolution of new ways of being in a changing world.  She was a contributor to the book, ' Empathy Reconsidered: New Directions in Psychotherapy' .

 

Danza de aldeanos - Peter Paul Rubens (Wikimedia)

Our observations show that group or relational empathy
 may be even more important than individual empathy
in the formation of conscious communities
.
 

She writes, "In Rogers' original work a key component of the core facilitative conditions for individual growth is empathy. Empathy has since been shown to be the gold standard for effective facilitation in any growth-focused relationship. Empathy is commonly regarded as an individual-to-individual phenomenon in which one person senses the unspoken or inchoate thoughts or feelings of another. Our observations show that group or relational empathy may be even more important than individual empathy in the formation of conscious communities."
Sub Conference: Science

How to Build a Culture of Empathy
Dan Zahavi

                     

Dan Zahavi is a Professor in the Department of Media, Cognition, and Communication at the University of Copenhagen, where he specializes in the social dimension of self-experience; the nature of empathy and its relevance for social cognition; the relation between phenomenology and naturalism; selfhood and unity of consciousness with particular focus on no-self doctrines. Dan is the director of the Danish National Research Foundation’s Center for Subjectivity Research.



The Thinker in The Gates of Hell - Rodin (Wikipedia)
 

Although there in recent years has been something of an
upsurge of interest in and work on empathy,
there is still no clear consensus about
what precisely it is.

 

The center has a grant for an "Empathy and Interpersonal Understanding" project that runs from 2011 to 2015.  The aim of the project is to contribute to investigate two questions:

1) What is empathy and what role does it play in interpersonal understanding?

2) To what extent does interpersonal understanding presuppose a common social and cultural background?

Dan has written numerous articles on the nature of empathy and the center is hosting workshops and conferences on the topic. One conference being held in May 2013, is on the  "Phenomenology of Empathy".   
Sub Conference: Science

How to Build a Culture of Empathy and Caring
Riane Eisler

 Riane Eisler is a social scientist, attorney, and author whose work on cultural transformation has inspired both scholars and social activists. Her research has impacted many fields, including history, economics, psychology, sociology, and education. She has been a leader in the movement for peace, sustainability, and economic equity, and her pioneering

work in human rights has expanded the focus of international organizations to include the rights of women and children.




Hubert Lanzinger - Der Bannerträger (Metapedia)


Ridged top-down rankings, whether family
or state, are artificial barriers
to trust, empathy, and caring.

In her newest book, The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics,  Riane says;  "When children are taught the “normality” of domination and submission - and society doesn't offer alternatives - they often learn to go into denial and inhibit their capacity for empathy and consciousness,. They then build family, educational, religious, economic, and political institutions based on the these principles when they grow up. And so the cycle repeats itself generation after generation." "Ridged top-down rankings, whether family or state, are artificial barriers to trust, empathy, and caring."

How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Healthcare
Robin Youngson

Robin Youngson is an anesthesiologist in New Zealand. He is an International leader in the compassionate healthcare movement and founded HEARTS in HEALTHCARE which is an inspirational community of health professionals, students, patient advocates, health leaders, and many others who are champions for compassionate care.


Triptych showing the Hôtel Dieu in Paris  (Wikipedia)

my passion is to restore the heart of healthcare
and to make caring and compassion the
daily lived experience and practice
of all in healthcare. 

Robin is author of TIME TO CARE: How to love your patients and your job. He says, "my passion is to restore the heart of healthcare and to make caring and compassion the daily lived experience and practice of all in healthcare. Health professionals need compassion and caring in the workplace as much as patients - the rates of burnout, emotional exhaustion and hopelessness are far too high."
Sub Conference: Health Care

 How to Build a Culture of Empathy
Sara Konrath

Sara Konrath is Assistant Research Professor at the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the University of Michigan. Sara is the Principal Investigator of the Interdisciplinary Program on Empathy and Altruism Research (iPEAR) which is a research lab with a primary focus on the costs and benefits of empathy and related traits (e.g. emotional intelligence, narcissism) and behaviors (e.g. helping, caregiving).

 

She writes; "Imaginatively taking on another person's thoughts and identifying with their emotions are two habits at the core of empathy. In fact, empathy is not a fixed trait like having brown eyes or long fingers. Empathy is instead a delicate cocktail blending assorted elements of inborn aptitude, social conditioning, personal history, and practice and motivation.
 


Young Spartans exercising - Degas (Wikipedia)

 

The ability to empathize is like a muscle capable of growth, atrophy, disability, and even regeneration (think Scrooge).

People have different innate capacities for building certain
 muscles, just as we have
different incentives for
being empathetic and
experiences in
honing our skills to empathize.

 

The ability to empathize is like a muscle capable of growth, atrophy, disability, and even regeneration (think Scrooge). People have different innate capacities for building certain muscles, just as we have different incentives for being empathetic and experiences in honing our skills to empathize. For some people, empathy comes easily and naturally; for others, concerted effort is required to stretch our imaginations beyond ourselves."

 

We held an engaging two hour discussion about the nature of empathy and how to foster it.
Sub Conference: Science

 How to Build a Culture of Empathy in Healthcare
Jodi Halpern

Jodi Halpern is Associate Professor of Bioethics and Medical Humanities at the University of California, Berkeley, in the Joint Medical Program and the School of Public Health. As a psychiatrist with a background in philosophy, she investigates how emotions and the imagination shape healthcare decisions of clinicians and patients.

Jodi is author of From Detached Concern to Empathy: Humanizing Medical Practice.

 

 
St. Sebastian Nursed by St. Irene (Wikigallery)

I’ve investigated what happens to patients when
their doctors show a lack of empathy.


Clinical Empathy: "As a psychiatrist as well as a faculty member in bioethics at UC Berkeley for almost two decades, I’ve investigated what happens to patients when their doctors show a lack of empathy. Doctors were trained to believe that emotional detachment from patients is personally and professionally necessary, but experience shows that patients don’t trust doctors who are aloof or superficially friendly. Yet, only recently have studies proven just how harmful detachment and how beneficial empathy is for healing...."
Sub Conference: Health Care and Science

 
 

 Panel 19: The Challenge of Balancing Analysis and Empathy

  Anthony Jack
Helen Riess
Richard Boyatzis
Edwin Rutsch
Recent evidence shows that adopting an analytic frame of mind suppresses brain areas involved in empathy, and emotionally engaging with others suppresses brain areas involved in analytic thought. This presents a challenge for contexts that require both forms of thought.

challenges involved in fostering a balance between
empathy and analysis in professional life

Managers, teachers and doctors all have professional roles in which optimal performance depends both on a capacity for clear analytic thought, and on their ability to emotionally resonate with others. This panel brings together three experts in the neuroscience of empathy and how to train it. They discuss the challenges involved in fostering a balance between empathy and analysis in professional life, and suggest solutions.
Sub Conference: Science

How to Build a Culture of Empathy and Compassion
 Christopher Germer

 

Christopher Germer is a clinical instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School and a founding member of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. He lectures internationally on mindfulness and self-compassion, is author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions.

 

Mindful self-compassion is the foundation of emotional healing - being aware in the present moment when we're struggling with feelings of inadequacy, despair, confusion, and other forms of stress (mindfulness) and responding with kindness and understanding (self-compassion).
 


Abbot of Watkungtaphao in Phu Soidao Waterfall (Wikipedia)

Mindful self-compassion is the foundation of emotional healing

- being aware in the present moment when we're struggling

with feelings of inadequacy, despair, confusion,

 and other forms of stress

 

To build a culture of empathy and compassion, Chris says we need to have a societal discussion about what values are really important to us.  They did this in Bhutan where they have the "gross national happiness" index.  Also, that we need to develop extensive empathy and compassion trainings. He said, the average American watches TV for 4 hours a day. What if we used that time learning about empathy and compassion? What a different world it would be.
Sub Conference: Science

 Dialogs on How to Build a Culture of Empathy & Compassion
Paul Gilbert

Paul Gilbert is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Derby and Director of the Mental Health Research Unit, Derbyshire Mental Health Trust. He has has authored over 20 books, including, Depression: The Evolution of Powerlessness and the The Compassionate Mind: A New Approach to Life's Challenges.


Shame in Rodin's Eve after the Fall (Wikipedia)

Compassion-focused therapy... a form of psychotherapy that
emphasizes the development of self-compassion in
people who are prone to feelings of
shame and self-criticism.

Paul says, "After years of exploring the processes underpinning shame and its role in a variety of psychopathologies, my current research is exploring the neurophysiology and therapeutic effectiveness of compassion focused therapy."  The publisher describes Compassion-focused therapy (CFT)  as "a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the development of self-compassion in people who are prone to feelings of shame and self-criticism. Created by Paul Gilbert and his colleagues, this therapy is rooted in Mahayana Buddhist psychology, which considers compassion and mindfulness to be central to healing the mind. CFT develops four skills: compassionate attention, compassionate thinking, compassionate behavior, and compassionate feeling.

This therapy has been proven effective for the treatment of eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions, and can even benefit those who do not suffer from these disorders as it improves emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and nonjudgment."

In this interview, Paul and Edwin have a wide ranging discussion about shame, depression, empathy and compassion, as well as, how to foster compassion in society.
Sub Conference: Science

 How to Build a Culture of Empathy with an Ethics of Care
Michael Slote

 

Michael Slote is Professor of Ethics. He has taught at Columbia University, Trinity College, Dublin, and the University of Maryland, where he was department chair for many years. He has written many articles in philosophy of mind, ethics, and political philosophy.

 

He is also author of many books including: The Ethics of Care and Empathy. This book makes use of the recent psychology literature on empathy to develop a version of care ethics that applies to both personal and political morality.

 


The Young Mother - Cassatt Mary (wikimedia)
 

 I shall, for example, be making use of the recent
literature of psychology to argue that
empathy is the primary mechanism of
caring, benevolence, compassion, etc...

 

In this dialog we went through Michael's book and discussed it chapter by chapter.  Michael says, "Care ethicists often speak about empathy and its role in caring attitudes and relationships, but they haven't stressed empathy to anything like the extent that I shall be doing here. I shall, for example, be making use of the recent literature of psychology to argue that empathy is the primary mechanism of caring, benevolence, compassion, etc...  I argue further, that caring motivation is based in and sustained by our human capacity for empathy with others."

Sub Conference: Science

 
 

Occupy 100% Empathy Tent

We've launched a new project to set up an Empathy Tent at
some of the occupy encampments in order to support
 building a culture of empathy and compassion
through conflict resolution, empathy circles,
empathic listening, mediation, d
ialog,
restorative justice, trainings, etc.

See the following links for more;

- 100% Empathy Tent webpage
- Join the Facebook Event for this project.
- Shared and editable Google Doc for the project development

Nurturing a Culture of Empathy with Focusing:
Jo Kennedy (listener) and Edwin Rutsch (focuser)

Jo Kennedy is a Focusing practitioner and trainer. After a 25 year meditation practice she was deeply moved when she discovered Focusing.

 

Jo writes, "What I had been yearning for had been there all along; what the meditation teachers had been talking about was suddenly accessible. I was offered the missing link. Focusing is a profound form of deep listening, it has enriched my life, shown me how to build strength in my cancer recovery and given me access to an ongoing source of creativity and healing. Learning to listen into this deep, more bodily knowing has given me the gift of myself."

 


 Tobias Restores his Father's Sight - Jan van Hemessen  (wikimedia)

Focusing is a profound form of deep listening,
it has enriched
my life
... and given me access to an
ongoing source of creativity and healing.
..

In this hour, Jo demonstrates the Focusing process with me. I was the "focuser" and followed my felt sense and Jo was the "listener".  Just coming out of a conflict with my girl friend, I was feeling quite stressed and full of anxiety. Jo guided me thought the process and after about 45 minutes, I felt quite relaxed and spacious.  As I described my felt sense and what was arising in me in real-time, Jo would use empathic listening to reflect what she was hearing. Once the session was done, we then talked about the process and the nature of empathy and Focusing.

Developing Empathy Skills in Human-Centered Design
Patrick Quattlebaum

Patrick Quattlebaum is Managing Director of Adaptive Path, an experience strategy and design company. Patrick is also an in demand consultant who helps organizations envision, architect, and manifest new product and service experiences. He’s a passionate strategist, designer, humanist, storyteller, facilitator, and teacher. Patrick wrote an article 'Service Design Soft Skill Builder: Empathy' about using and practicing empathy in the Human-Centered Design process.

 

We talk a lot about other people's empathy.
 But what about your own?
What about mine?

 

In this dialog we discussed his article and explored ways to increase and practice our personal empathy skills. Patrick writes, "We, the design community, talk (and write and speak) a lot about empathy. We lament the empathy deficit in our companies and clients and cry "something must be done about this."  We tout personas, empathy maps, experience maps, and other methods as empathy deficit reducers that lead to better experiences (and profits). Some, at the extremes, position human-centered designers as Platonic figures releasing stakeholders from the shadows of opinion and faceless analytics into the reality of human emotions, needs, and desires. We talk a lot about other people's empathy. But what about your own? What about mine? "

Sub Conference: Human-Centered-Design

Practical Empathy and Human-Centered Design
 Indi Young

 

Indi Young is a user experience consultant, author, founding partner at Adaptive Path. "My book about empathy and generating better services and products for the people you support via mental model diagrams is gaining more and more attention. I'm happy to teach a workshop for your organization or help your team through the method...

 

 Empathy is your tool for understanding
how people think and feel.
..

 

 Empathy is your tool for understanding how people think and feel. Schooling your thoughts to think and feel the way someone else does is a powerful way to do a lot of things, including design and guiding the direction of your work."
Sub Conference: Human-Centered-Design

Dialogs on Building Empathy & Compassion
Olga Klimecki

Olga Klimecki did her PhD with Tania Singer at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany. She is interested in understanding the neural mechanisms that shape our social emotions in adaptive ways. In several longitudinal studies, she examined how far training social emotions, like compassion and empathy, changes affective experience, prosocial behaviour, and neural function (as measured by fMRI).

 

Olga started as a postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Center for Affective Sciences in Geneva, Switzerland. The goal of the current project is to investigate the elicitation, expression and regulation of anger. 

 

In our dialog we discussed different definitions of
empathy, sympathy, compassion, personal distress,
compassion fatigue and empathy fatigue.

 

In our dialog we discussed different definitions of empathy, sympathy, compassion, personal distress, compassion fatigue and empathy fatigue. People use these various terms differently and interchangeably. This causes a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding.  We also explored dealing with personal distress and developing personal resilience by using mindfulness practices, empathic listening and empathy circles.
Sub Conferences: Science

 Building Empathy with Children, Touch & Massage
Eva Scherer

Eva Scherer, professional body worker and the owner of several Sports & Therapeutic massage clinics in Auckland.  In 2000 with like-minded professionals, Eva established Child Connection Trust, a registered charity.
 

 

Our programmes teach Peace and Empathy
in the purest way... Most people would react with
 surprise or disbelief at the concept of
empathy being taught in schools...
 

The aim of this organization is to introduce massage into the mainstream education system as a low-cost prevention for child abuse and family violence.  Since then, her award winning Children Massaging Children programme has benefited children in New Zealand as well as overseas. "Our programmes teach Peace and Empathy in the purest way... Most people would react with surprise or disbelief at the concept of empathy being taught in schools; however, this idea is more than mere wishful thinking. The idea of teaching children empathy has been the subject of extensive research in New Zealand and also the focus of at least two Master's degree theses in Poland."

Sub Conferences: Education and Home-Family

 
 

Study: Brain research shows psychopathic criminals do not lack empathy,
but fail to use it automatically
Christian Keyser
 

Christian Keysers is professor and group leader of the Social Brain Lab at the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands. The lab explores the biological nature and neuroscience of empathy. Christian is author of 'The Empathic Brain: How the Discovery of Mirror Neurons Changes our Understanding of Human Nature'.


A brain imaging study in the Netherlands shows individuals
 with psychopathy have reduced empathy while
 witnessing the pains of others.


Christian discusses his teams new findings.
"A brain imaging study in the Netherlands shows individuals with psychopathy have reduced empathy while witnessing the pains of others. When asked to empathize, however, they can activate their empathy." ScienceDaily .
Sub Conferences: Science and
Pathologies

 Empathy: What It Is and Why It Matters!

 David Howe

David Howe is currently an Emeritus Professor in the School of Social Work and Psychology at the  University of East Anglia.  After an early career as a child care officer and social worker, in 1976 David Howe began his present career as a university researcher and teacher. His research and writing interests span social work theory, adoption, emotional intelligence, attachment theory, and child abuse and neglect.

 


Flower Still Life - Ambrosius Bosschaert  (Wikipedia)
 

Empathy is profoundly important for understanding
people's feelings and behaviour. It is not only
 an essential skill in conducting successful
personal and working relationships, it also
helps us understand what makes
people moral and societies decent.

 

To date, David has written 17 books, many of them regarded as best-sellers. He is author of Empathy: What it is and why it matters.  "Empathy is key to good relationships. In its absence, behavior becomes puzzling, even dangerous. David Howe's fascinating new book examines what empathy is, why we have it and how it develops. He explores the important part empathy plays in child development and therapeutic work as well as its significance for how society organizes itself."
Sub Conference: Science

 
 

My Empathy Circle with a Narcissistic Psychopath.
Success! It worked to Foster Empathic Listening!

With Sam Vaknin

I've been developing an Empathy Circle process that is based on the empathic listening work of Carl Rogers. I've held hundreds of these small group empathic conversations that are the best process I've found for nurturing and practicing empathy.


 
Narcissus - Caravaggio (Wikipedia)

These are small group empathic conversations
 that
are the best process I've found for
nurturing and practicing empathy
,
even with a narcissist psychopath.

 I've been wondering how this process would work with Narcissists and Psychopaths.  I lined up an Empathy Circle with Sam Vaknin, who is diagnosed as a narcissist with psychopathic tendencies.  
Sub Conference: Pathologies: Psychopathy & Narcissism

Psychopathy, Fear & How to Build a Culture of Empathy
Abigail Marsh

 Abigail Marsh is a professor at Georgetown University. Her area of expertise includes social and affective neuroscience, particularly understanding emotions such as empathy and how they relate to aggression, altruism, violence and psychopathy. Her research is aimed at understanding aspects of human social interactions, emotional functioning, and empathy using cognitive neuroscience methods, with a particular focus on emotion and nonverbal communication. 

 

The course addresses such questions as;
Are humans innately selfish or empathic?
What do we mean when we say empathy?

 

Her research also includes studies with adolescents and adults that incorporate neuroimaging, cognitive and behavioral testing, and pharmacology techniques.  Abigail also teaches a course titled  "Empathy, Altruism, & Aggression." The course addresses such questions as; Are humans innately selfish or empathic? What do we mean when we say empathy? Do selfish or empathic behaviors succeed best in the long term?  What is a psychopath? "
Sub Conference: Science and Pathologies

How to Build a Culture of Empathy with Sociopaths, Psychopaths & Narcissists
Tim McGregor

Tim McGregor has worked as a practitioner in the UK addiction treatment sector for over 20 years. Tim founded Substance Misuse Solutions Ltd, that involves consultancy work and commissioning advice on drug and alcohol treatment. He is coauthor with Jane McGregor of The Empathy Trap: Understanding Antisocial Personalities. Jane is a lecturer at the Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham, UK.

people without a conscience, who prey on those
 with high levels of empathy

"Sociopathy affects an estimated 1-4% of the population, but not all sociopaths are cold-blooded murderers. They're best described as people without a conscience, who prey on those with high levels of empathy, but themselves lack any concern for others' feelings and show no remorse for their actions. Drawing on real life cases, The Empathy Trap explores this taboo subject and looks at how people can protect themselves against these arch-manipulators."
Sub Conference: Pathologies: Sociopathy

Creating the Empathetic Museum
Gretchen Jennings

Gretchen Jennings is a longtime museum professional, having worked as an educator, administrator, and exhibition project director in a variety of museums - art, history, and science. She is currently editor of "Exhibitionist," the journal of the National Association for Museum Exhibition. Gretchen  has been advocating for and writing about the The Empathetic Museum. She is also leading a discussion among museum professionals about the role of empathy.

 

In our dialog Gretchen talks about her vision for the Empathetic Museum and what that entails.  She writes, "I was thinking about institutional body language when the word empathy first occurred to me in connection with museums some time ago. Empathy, the experience of feeling with and not just for another, requires a strong core, a sense of self that can dare to be open to the experience of others. I think of the truly empathetic person as one whose inner and outer expressions of compassion are consonant with each other.

 


Musée du Louvre - Hubert Robert (Wikipedia)

 

The Empathetic Museum
I was thinking about institutional body language
when the word empathy
first occurred to me
in connection with museums some time ago.

 

Institutions have an inner core, an identity; and they can also manifest a kind of body language – messages that come through loud and clear even when the mission statement, website, and marketing materials say something different.  An institution that is not at its core truly visitor-centered, dedicated to inclusion, and committed to its community cannot, in my view, attract and retain the new and diverse audiences it may say it wants. "

 

As part of The Empathetic Museum interview series, Edwin interviews museum professionals about how they use and foster empathy in their work.
 
 
Janeen Bryant
VP Education, Levine Museum of New South
 Charlotte, NC
  Margaret Middleton
Exhibit Designer, Children’s Discovery Museum 
San Jose, CA

Building the Empathetic Museum with Human-Centered Design
Dana Mitroff Silvers

Dana Mitroff Silvers is a web strategy and implementation consultant and workshop facilitator with experience launching digital products in museums, nonprofits, and educational organizations. A theme in her current work is how mission-driven organizations can integrate principles of human-centered design into their practice.

Dana has been in a dialog with others in the museum community about creating The Empathetic Museum. She wrote an article about 'Empathy as the starting point for innovation'. In this dialog we talked about her  article and insights on empathy and bringing human-centered design to museums.

 

One of the core principles of design thinking is its focus
on human values at every stage of the process.
..
 
And empathy for the people for whom you’re designing is
fundamental to this process...

 

She writes, "One of the core principles of design thinking is its focus on human values at every stage of the process. And empathy for the people for whom you’re designing is fundamental to this process... There have been several recent discussions about empathy in museum practice, ranging from Regan Forrest’s writings about empathy in the context of interpretation on the Interactivate blog to Gretchen Jenning’s write-up about The Empathetic Museum at AAM to Suse Cairns’s post on the Museum Geek blog, On the paradoxes of empathy.

I’m thrilled that empathy seems to be an emerging meme among my museum peers. The current discussions touch on the application of empathy at all levels of museums, from institutional policy to interpretive practices. One aspect of empathy that I think is missing in these discussions is how it is used and applied in the context of the design thinking process."

Sub Conference: Human-Centered Design

The Need for Listening and Empathy in Journalism
Josh Stearns

Josh Stearns is a journalist, organizer and community strategist. He is Journalism and Public Media Campaign Director for Free Press, a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization working to reform the media through education, organizing and advocacy. In this dialog we talk about the role of empathy, listening and community in journalism.

 

Josh wrote the article, The Need for Listening and Empathy in Journalism. He writes, "What is the role of empathy in journalism?...  the question of empathy has two facets: empathy in the newsroom, and the empathy our stories foster in our readers. What connects these two elements is the act of listening...
 

What is the role of empathy in journalism?...
Better reflecting and responding
to our communities has to
start with better listening.
..


Better reflecting and responding to our communities has to start with better listening. While journalism is rooted in interviews, there’s not enough discussion about the need to listen to our communities. And by listening, I don’t mean simply talking to sources or listening for story leads; I mean listening for the sake of understanding and building truly reciprocal relationships with readers." 

Sub Conference: Journalism and Media

Public Speaking and How to Inspire Through Empathy
Sarah Lloyd-Hughes

Sarah Lloyd-Hughes is a popular speaker on confidence and inspiration, an award winning social entrepreneur, founder of Ginger Training & Coaching and author of “How to Be Brilliant at Public Speaking: Any Audience. Any Situation.” In her speaking and courses, Sarah teaches that to become a more influential communicator doesn’t involve pretending to be someone you’re not – instead you must understand and unleash the six qualities of an inspiring speaker that already live inside you.

 

Sarah wrote an article titled, Inspire through Empathy (part 1) about the role of empathy in public speaking and Getting to know your audience (part 2) Sarah writes, "One of the biggest problems speakers face is focusing too much on themselves and not enough on their audience. Developing an empathetic approach to public speaking will help your speaking in more ways than one…
 


Cicero Denounces Catiline - Cesare Maccari  (Wikipedia)

 

Developing an empathetic approach to
public speaking will help your speaking
 in more ways than one...


Empathy is one of the six qualities of an inspiring speaker, that I write about it my book “How to be Brilliant at Public Speaking”.  So many presenters fail to realize how important empathy truly is, focusing on their ever growing list of information they wish to impart.  They think more about what they want to say versus what the audience wants to hear. Ever hear a speaker begin with, “Hello. My name is (fill in the blank) and I’m here to speak to you today about… blah blah blah yadda yadda”? That’s the very LAST thing that will get your audience engaged. Why not try empathy instead?"

A Radical Feminist Revolution of Empathy
Sandy Hope

Sandy Hope is a counsellor working with adults and young people in UK. Sandy works from a Carl Rogers Person-Centred perspective and holds workshops on Domestic Violence and Abuse, Difference and Privilege, as well as, Anger Awareness. Sandy wrote the article Empathy – a revolutionary act and says,  "If we want a radical feminist revolution that overturns our current ways of thinking and responding to the world, I believe, and I’m not alone, that this begins (and ends) with empathy.

 


Women's Suffrage Parade in New York City  (Wikipedia)

 

If we want a radical feminist revolution that overturns our
 current ways of thinking and responding to the world,
 I believe, (and I’m not alone), that this begins
(and ends) with empathy...


The style of thinking that characterises patriarchy/kyriarchy is individualistic, self-orientated, and based on competition, control and domination. It comes from a false belief that these are the natural drivers of human nature, a belief that is unfortunately self-reinforcing...
 When I started my Facebook page, Lesbians and Feminists Against Transphobia my purpose was to build empathy between feminist, lesbian and trans* communities. Although this was intended to be a reciprocal process, and the empathy needs to be two-way, I was motivated by the institutional transphobia I had encountered within lesbian and feminist circles towards trans* people, a phenomenon entirely based in lack of empathy.  This mattered to me because I witnessed the social exclusion of trans* people as having a profoundly detrimental effect on their psychological wellbeing"

 
 

Workshop
Reigniting the Embers of Empathy!
 Building Empathic Community
Saturday, March 15, 2014, Oakland CA

Event Listing     -    Photo Album

Workshop Video: Reigniting the Embers of Empathy! Building Empathic Community.


Invitation

How might we empathically redesign our community to better support our deepest dreams, values, needs and aspirations? Let us come together to reignite the embers of personal and community empathy!  We will learn how to listen and respond so that each person feels loved, heard, seen, and appreciated. When we work together we can co-create harmonious loving relationships and communities. 

"We'll have to reignite the embers
of empathy and fellow feeling"

 Barack Obama 

 
"The March on Washington teaches us that we are not trapped by the mistakes of history; that we are masters of our fate. But it also teaches us that the promise of this nation will only be kept when we work together.  We'll have to reignite the embers of empathy and fellow feeling, the coalition of conscience that found expression in this place 50 years ago." Barack Obama 

 
 

Empathy: A Handbook for Revolution
Roman Krznaric

Roman Krznaric is a cultural thinker and writer on the art of living. He is a founding faculty member of The School of Life in London, which offers instruction and inspiration on the important questions of everyday life, and advises organisations including Oxfam and the United Nations on using empathy and conversation to create social change. He has been named by The Observer as one of Britain's leading lifestyle philosophers. Roman is author of  Empathy: A Handbook for Revolution.

 



 

 I believe that empathy – the imaginative act of
stepping into another person's shoes and
viewing the world from their perspective – 
is a radical tool for social change and
should be a guiding light
for the art of living
.

 

From the book description; "Through encounters with actors, activists, groundbreaking designers, undercover journalists, nurses, bankers and neuroscientists, Krznaric defines a new breed of adventurer. He sets out the six life-enhancing habits of highly empathetic people, whose skills enable them to connect with others in extraordinary ways. Empathy has the power to transform relationships, from the personal to the political. Krznaric contends that, as we move on from an age of introspection, empathy will be key to fundamental social change - making this book a manifesto for revolution."

Sub Conference:

Empathetic Marketing:
How to Satisfy the 6 Core Emotional Needs of Your Customers
 Mark Ingwer

Mark Ingwer is a business psychologist and the founding partner of Insight Consulting Group, a global marketing and strategy consultancy specializing in consumer and business insights.  He has over 25 years experience applying his unique blend of psychology, marketing, and business acumen to helping companies optimize their brand and marketing strategy based on an in-depth understanding of their customers.

 


Marco Polo travelling (wikipedia)


The business community... often it fails to

 practice empathy in its marketing
and thus falls short of truly
connecting with customers.

 

Mark is author of Empathetic Marketing: How to Satisfy the 6 Core Emotional Needs of Your Customers.  He writes,  "A business that invests in empathy devotes itself to understanding the emotional needs and motivations of its customers, and aligns itself to meet them. Companies have increasingly embraced the role of emotion in selling products and services, but often merely pay lip service to its importance without understanding how to harness it."

Sub Conference: Workplace

Bike Travel as a Model to Cultivate Empathy
Roberto Gallegos

Annika Wachter and Roberto Gallego are founders of Tasting Travels, a project that seeks to promote bicycle travel as a model to cultivate empathy. They have ridden their bicycles from Europe to Australia and beyond.
 

They say, "We are a multicultural couple that decided in 2011 to explore a thin line around the world by bicycle. Our main goal is to promote bike travel as a model to cultivate empathy.... We are moved by the strong belief that bike travel is an excellent way to cultivate empathy in our world, not only towards human beings but to other living species."

 

... bike travel is an excellent way

to cultivate empathy in our world,

not only towards human beings but
to other living species...

 


Annika Wachter and Roberto Gallego
 

Sub Conference:

 Blog Roll Continued: Previous  < 5 > Next

<Home> < 8 > < 7 > < 6 > < 5 > < 4 > < 3 > < 2 > < 1 >

 

.