ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter, we focused on elements of social awareness—recognizing feelings in others and effective listening—that are closely linked with empathy. In this chapter, we’ll deepen our exploration of empathy, and discuss perspective taking—understanding why someone might be feeling how they do and trying to see situations from the other’s point of view. Empathy involves emotional awareness and cognitive perspective taking, and goes beyond these. Educators’ interest in empathy includes a behavioral element in addition to the affective and cognitive. That is, we want the emotional reaction and our cognitive assessment of its causes and context to shape our behavior. Of course, action without emotional and cognitive perspective taking doesn’t meet our needs either.
