SOCIAL EMPATHY CENTER
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What is Social Empathy?

Social empathy is the ability to understand people by perceiving or experiencing their life situations and as a result gain insight into structural inequalities and disparities. 

The Building Blocks of Social Empathy

Social empathy is built on interpersonal empathy, coupled with a deep contextual understanding of the situations of others and the ability to engage in macro perspective-taking.

Interpersonal empathy is the ability to understand what another person is feeling and thinking. 
  • It connects us as human beings
  • It is critical for our survival – we must accurately perceive and interpret others
  • It promotes healthy relationships
  • And it can be the foundation for prosocial behavior and moral development
 
A lack of interpersonal empathy can lead to:
  • Bullying
  • Violent crime
  • Abusive parenting
  • Spousal battering
  • Sexual offending
  • Narcissism
 
Expanding this to a larger context, a​ lack of social empathy can lead to:
  • Racism
  • Prejudice
  • Other forms of “us vs. them”
  • Distrust
  • In extreme cases destruction of other cultures            
Research references can be found here.

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  • Home
  • About
    • What is Social Empathy?
    • What We Do
    • Who We Are
  • Learn More
    • Social Empathy Components
    • FAQs about Empathy
    • Research References
  • Resources
    • Assessing Empathy
    • Social Empathy: The Art of Understanding Others
  • Blog
  • Contact