Culture of Empathy Builder: Anita Nowak

Purposeful Empathy
Creating Meanings and Direction in Your Life

Anita Nowak

Anita Nowak is an empathy expert, author, award-winning educator, international speaker, and certified coach. She holds a doctoral degree from McGill University where she was named Professor of the Year in 2014 and 2019. Anita held a variety of leadership and advisory roles within the private and non-profit sectors and have served as a volunteer for many social purpose organizations over the past 20 years, both locally and internationally.

Anita is the author of Purposeful Empathy: Tapping Our Hidden Superpower for Personal, Organizational, and Social Change.

Links

Purposeful Empathy - Anita Novak and Edwin Rutsch

Anita Nowak: Dissertation: Pedagogy of Empathic Action as Informed by Social Entrepreneurs
In this interview, Anita Nowak talks about her PhD dissertation titled 'Introducing a Pedagogy of Empathic Action as Informed by Social Entrepreneurs.''

"I contend that our innate human empathy can be leveraged as a tool of social change through the practice of Empathic Action. Furthermore I argue that a Pedagogy of Empathic Action offers the best means by which to foster this."

The dissertation addresses five questions;

What is empathy?
What is Empathic Action? Acting on empathy for another/others.
What group of individuals is already practicing Empathic Action?
How might narrative inquiry interviews with such individuals inform a Pedagogy of Empathic Action?
What are the broad strokes of such a pedagogical approach?
Sub Conferences: Education and Workplace

INTRODUCING A PEDAGOGY OF EMPATHIC ACTION AS INFORMED BY SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

ANITA THERESA NOWAK

Department of Integrated Studies in Education

Overview: I contend that our innate human empathy can be leveraged as a tool of social change through the practice of Empathic Action. Furthermore I argue that a Pedagogy of Empathic Action offers the best means by which to foster this.

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.0 Opening remarks p. 1
1.1 Articulating a research problem and my three research questions p. 5
1.2 Organization of the chapters p. 8
     1.2.1 Chapter 2: Understanding empathy through a literature review p. 8
     1.2.2 Chapter 3: Exploring social entrepreneurship through
       a second literature review p. 9
     1.2.3 Chapter 4: Narrative inquiry as a methodology and
            a discussion of my research findings p. 10
     1.2.4 Chapter 5: Introducing a pedagogy of empathic action p. 10
     1.2.5 Chapter 6: Conclusion p. 11

CHAPTER 2: UNDERSTANDING EMPATHY THROUGH A LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0 Opening remarks p. 12
2.1 Defining empathy p. 12
     2.1.1 Tracing the differences between pity, sympathy, compassion & empathy
2.2 The conceptual evolution of the term empathy p. 21
     2.2.1 Empathy in the era of early Chinese philosophy p. 21
     2.2.2 Empathy in the era of scholasticism p. 22
     2.2.3 Empathy in the era of empiricism p. 22
     2.2.4 Empathy in the era of the enlightenment p. 23
     2.2.5 Empathy in the era of post-rationalism p. 23
     2.2.6 Empathy in the era of modern aesthetics p. 24
     2.2.7 Empathy in the era of hermeneutics p. 25
     2.2.8 Empathy in the era of modern psychology, psychotherapy & health p. 25
     2.2.9 Empathy and neuroscience p. 27
     2.2.10 Empathy and evolution p. 28
     2.2.11 Empathy and the nature vs. nurture debate p. 29
     2.2.12 Empathy and intersubjectivity/phenomenology p. 32
     2.2.13 Empathy and sustainability p. 34
     2.3.14 Empathy, morality and justice p. 35
     2.2.15 Empathy and public policy p. 36
2.3 Empathy and education p. 38
     2.3.1 Examples of empathy-oriented programs and curriculum p. 39
     2.3.2 Four pro empathy-education scholars p. 41
          2.3.2.1 Nel Noddings p. 41
          2.3.2.2 Matthew Schertz p. 45
          2.3.2.3 Megan Boler p. 48
          2.3.2.4 Susan Verducci p. 50
2.4 Introducing and conceptualizing �Empathic Action� p. 52

CHAPTER 3: EXPLORING SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP THROUGH A SECOND LITERATURE REVIEW
3.0 Opening remarks p. 56
3.1 Defining entrepreneurship p. 57
3.2 Understanding the context that gave rise to social entrepreneurship p. 58
3.3 Defining social entrepreneurship p. 62
3.4 Social entrepreneurship aligned with Empathic Action p. 73

CHAPTER 4: NARRATIVE INQUIRY AS A METHODOLOGY AND A DISCUSSION OF MY RESEARCH FINDINGS
4.0 Opening remarks p. 77
4.1 The narrative turn p. 79
4.2 My chosen research methodology p. 81
4.2.1 My data collection process p. 81
4.2.2 My research participants p. 83
4.3 The significance of my research p. 89
4.4 My narrative inquiry findings p. 91
4.5 Analysis and discussion p. 141

CHAPTER 5: INTRODUCING A PEDAGOGY OF EMPATHIC ACTION
5.0 Opening remarks p. 151
5.1 Critical pedagogy p. 152
     5.1.1 Banking p. 154
     5.1.2 Student-centered dialogue and problem-posing
     5.1.3 Conscientization p. 158
     5.1.4 Praxis p. 159
5.2 Pedagogy of the privileged p. 162
     5.2.1 Confidence-shaking and confidence-building p. 165
5.3 Social justice education p. 169
     5.3.1 Educating for a new consciousness p. 171
     5.3.2 Global citizenship education p. 172
     5.3.3 Education for sustainable development & socioecological justice p. 173

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION
6.0 Opening remarks p. 176
     6.1 Research significance p. 179
     6.2 Limitations and suggested research for the future p. 180
     6.4 Parting thoughts p. 181

Empathic Action
What is Empathy?
- Cognitive Empathy - imaginative
- Affective Empathy - feeling - cuddling baby story
Empathy trumps, sympathy, pity, compassion
Altruism continuum
- pity - look down, paternalistic
- sympathy -
- compassion -
- empathy - a common humanity - equality
neuroscience - says we're born with empathy
- Jeremy Rifkin
- Frans De Waal
- Roman Krznaric
we can learn empathy
- neuro pathways - snow path
- mirror neurons
Empathic Action
- wicked problems
  - poverty, climate change, etc
  - injustices
Benefits of empathy
Interdependence
global empathic action revolution

The power of empathy: Anita Nowak at TEDxMontrealWomen
"Empathy is the most positively disruptive force on the planet -- but only when it leads to Empathic Action. In this talk, we will explore how empathy can be leveraged for the ultimate win-win: personal well-being and social good."