ABSTRACT
Central to the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) initiatives in primary and, now, secondary schools, is empathy: the ability to recognise and respond to other people's emotions. Although behavioural skills, empathy included, can be infectious, there is a strong case for the key characteristics to be recognised and systematically taught. Empathy is a learned response. Acquiring the ability to see the world through the eyes of another, recognising the pressures they face and subsequently how their behaviour is affected, in turn allows everyone to understand their own behaviours and responses. The primary and secondary SEAL materials promote the development of being able to recognise and manage emotions, and to motivate oneself to achieve targeted goals. They emphasise not only these personal empathy skills but also the ability to apply them in social and group situations.
