Sunday 27 May 2007

Monday, 21 May 2007 Centro di Educazione Ambientale "Serra Guarneri" / Sicily - Empathy

During the exchange, an activity on Interpersonal Skills and Active listening was organized. In particular «Empathy» was the main topic of the activity!
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Create Empathy

(Handout session - link:
http://www.crnhq.org/cr_trainers_manual.htm#Empathy / Conflict Resolution Trainers Manual - 12 Skills)

Listen with your head and your heart.

Empathy is sensing another's feelings and attitudes as if we had experienced them ourselves. It is our willingness to enter another's world, and being able to communicate to that person our sensitivity to them. It is not blind sentimentality; it always retains some objectivity and distance. We do not lose our own identity, though we discover our common humanity.

Create empathy by:
• taking seriously others' needs and concerns
• valuing feelings and attitudes
• respecting others' privacy, experience and values
• listening actively
• encouraging further elaboration and clarification using open body language and a warm vocal tone
• reserving judgement and blame
• displaying interest in what others communicate
• withholding unsought advice
• supporting others' attempts to find a solution
• making affirming statements and gestures.

Empathy
uncovers complex needs and concerns
encourages blossoming and growth
improves relationships
supports confidence and self-knowledge

Copyright: The conflict resolution network, http://www.crnhq.org/
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Where that word comes from???
Empathy (Em + pathy, eg: someone that is on condition of pathos [strong desire, feeling])

So, whoever is experiencing a strong condition of pathos, he is in a situation of empathy. The original meaning of the word doesn’t have a positive or negative meaning!!!
Furthermore, originally the word was used to describe a person’s condition. Later on, in the Hellenistic period the word empathy was used to describe someone that is taking part in the condition [pathos] of another person.
In Greek, nowadays the word is being used for its negative meaning. The exactly opposite meaning is used in English!!!

Do you want to know more?
Check the word in English, English – Greek & Greek – English dictionary. I did! Check this out:
~ Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary – Oxford University Press
Empathy, 1. Ability to imagine and share another person’s feelings, experience, etc: ‘There is a strange empathy between the old lady and her grandson’ 2. Ability to identify oneself mentally with eg a work of art that one is looking at, and so to understand its meaning
~ Oxford English – Greek Learner’s Dictionary D.N. Stavropoulos & A.S. Hornby – Oxford University Press
Empathy, word doesn’t exist!
~ Oxford Greek – English Learner’s Dictionary D.N. Stavropoulos – Oxford University Press
Empathy, Passion, hatred, bitterness

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