Empathy: The Rock of Positive Behaviour Support

Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, is a fundamental social skill that plays a key role in building relationships, fostering compassion, and promoting prosocial behaviour. In prioritising increased quality of life for a person displaying behaviours that challenge (over behaviour modification), Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) has a critical need for staff empathy at its core.

Empathy has long been regarded as an innate trait, but recent research suggests that empathy is not only something we are born with, but something we can both learn and lose, influenced by various internal and external factors.

Empathy as a Learnable Skill

While some researchers argue that empathy is biologically hardwired into humans, I personally believe it is certainly not a default setting across all humans, (Go into a public toilet for men and then have look in the women’s toilet next door!) but can be cultivated in most people. A growing body of research also supports the idea that empathy is malleable; shaped by individual experiences, social contexts, and conscious efforts. (Why else do we ask our children to consider “How would you feel if… someone did that to you?”)

One prominent study by Decety and Jackson (2004) highlighted that cognitive empathy (the ability to understand another’s perspective) and emotional empathy (the ability to share another’s emotions) can be developed through education and exposure to diverse social experiences. Interventions such as training programs, perspective-taking exercises, and mindfulness practices have been shown to increase empathy levels. For example, research by Konrath et al. (2011) found that students who participated in empathy-building activities exhibited increased emotional empathy, suggesting that empathy is not a static trait, but one that can be nurtured.

Additionally, developmental studies demonstrate that empathy can emerge in early childhood through socialisation processes. Children learn to empathise by observing and interacting with caregivers, peers, and teachers. According to Eisenberg and Lennon (1983), children who are encouraged to engage in empathic behaviours through positive reinforcement and guidance are more likely to internalise these behaviours as they grow. Social empathy training for adults, particularly in professional settings such as healthcare and education, also supports the notion that empathy can be developed over time (Hojat et al., 2011).

Empathy as a Losable Trait

Despite empathy’s potential for growth, it can also be diminished or reduced under certain circumstances. Research indicates that various factors can hinder or reduce the capacity for empathy, such as stress, cognitive overload, and environmental influences.
A study by Batson et al. (2002) demonstrated that individuals under high-stress conditions are less likely to exhibit empathic responses. Chronic stress can lead to emotional burnout, making it difficult for individuals to relate to others’ emotions. In particular, healthcare workers and caregivers who experience compassion fatigue may find their ability to empathise significantly diminished (Figley, 2002).

Moreover, research by Cuddy et al. (2008) found that exposure to negative stereotypes, discrimination, and social exclusion could reduce empathic responses, particularly when people perceive others as “out-group” members. This suggests that empathy is vulnerable to social and cultural factors, including biases and prejudices. The recent ubiquitous discussion surrounding the drama Adolescence appears to illustrate fears around this.

In addition, studies have shown that frequent use of technology and social media can lead to a decline in face-to-face interactions, potentially reducing the capacity for empathetic engagement. A study by Konrath et al. (2010) found a significant decrease in empathy among college students over a 30-year period, suggesting that technology’s influence might play a role in this decline. More longitudinal research on this may be required; social media has significantly changed, developed and evolved over successive decades.

Conclusion

Empathy is clearly not a fixed trait or ability; rather, it is a skill that can be learned and nurtured through exposure, practice, and education (although some biological conditions may also clearly limit individual developmental capacity). However, various internal and external factors – such as stress, cognitive overload, and social influences – can diminish our ability to empathise. Compassion fatigue can also clearly pose a risk to staff implementing and maintaining PBS strategies which are person-centred and predicated on quality-of-life gains for vulnerable people in services. Recognising empathy’s potential and malleable nature might possibly lead to more effective strategies for fostering it in individuals, communities, staff groups and services who utilise PBS – and perhaps also help to address the challenges that risk contributing to its decline.

References

Batson, C.D., et al. (2002). Empathy and prosocial behaviour. In D.J. Murphy & S.M. Murphey (Eds.), The social psychology of helping.
Cuddy, A.J.C., et al. (2008). When being poor makes you feel angry: Stereotype vulnerability and empathy. Psychological Science, 19(7), 741-748.
Decety, J., & Jackson, P.L. (2004). The functional architecture of human empathy. Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience Reviews, 3(2), 71-100.
Eisenberg, N., & Lennon, R. (1983). Sex differences in empathy and related capacities. Psychological Bulletin, 94(1), 100-131.
Figley, C.R. (2002). Compassion fatigue: Psychotherapists’ chronic lack of empathy. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(11), 1463-1471.
Hojat, M., et al. (2011). Empathy in medical education and practice: A critical review of the literature. Academic Medicine, 86(7), 799-805.
Konrath, S.H., et al. (2010). Changes in dispositional empathy in American college students over time: A meta-analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 14(3), 229-244.
Konrath, S.H., et al. (2011). The Empathy Effect: The Relationship Between Empathy and Prosocial Behaviour. Empathy and the Practice of Psychology.