Empathy Not Just for Children Anymore
Empathy… Not Just For Children Anymore
2012
Steven Fitch
Psychology 205
4/30/2012
Empathy… Not Just For Children Anymore
2012
Steven Fitch
Psychology 205
4/30/2012
Susan Blackman was a busy woman and going to a new doctor for what she thought was a simple cold and a new one at that only seemed to be a waste of time. Susan had a day full of meetings and she was supposed to get out of work earlier to see her twins perform in the elementary school Christmas concert. Susan had put it off long enough and only felt as she was getting worse; going to a doctor she didn’t know and on a busy day like this would be a difficult task for her to say the least. Susan had decided to leave her last doctor’s office because she felt as there really wasn’t any compassion for her there. She would sit in the waiting room for 45 minutes to an hour after appointment time. It seemed as the doctor and her staff could not empathize with Susan and her schedule. Sure the doctor seemed to care about how Susan was feeling and could sympathize with how Susan was physically doing, but really didn’t seem to be able to have any empathy for a single mother of two and her busy schedule. How was the doctor not able to empathize with her? Wasn’t everyone born with this life skill? The milestone in early childhood development of empathy is lacking in adults today due to their caregivers not showing them empathy as a child.
Many Psychologist as well as Psychiatrist believes that a toddler will start to develop the life skill empathy around 3 years of age. According to an Article from the University Of Pittsburg Office Of Childhood Development, “pre-school aged children begin to learn empathy from what they see and experience, mostly in their own lives. They may still have a difficult time seeing things from someone else’s point of view and understanding why someone may not feel the same way as they do. But they are beginning to take cues from the way they are treated by
2012
Steven Fitch
Psychology 205
4/30/2012
Empathy… Not Just For Children Anymore
2012
Steven Fitch
Psychology 205
4/30/2012
Susan Blackman was a busy woman and going to a new doctor for what she thought was a simple cold and a new one at that only seemed to be a waste of time. Susan had a day full of meetings and she was supposed to get out of work earlier to see her twins perform in the elementary school Christmas concert. Susan had put it off long enough and only felt as she was getting worse; going to a doctor she didn’t know and on a busy day like this would be a difficult task for her to say the least. Susan had decided to leave her last doctor’s office because she felt as there really wasn’t any compassion for her there. She would sit in the waiting room for 45 minutes to an hour after appointment time. It seemed as the doctor and her staff could not empathize with Susan and her schedule. Sure the doctor seemed to care about how Susan was feeling and could sympathize with how Susan was physically doing, but really didn’t seem to be able to have any empathy for a single mother of two and her busy schedule. How was the doctor not able to empathize with her? Wasn’t everyone born with this life skill? The milestone in early childhood development of empathy is lacking in adults today due to their caregivers not showing them empathy as a child.
Many Psychologist as well as Psychiatrist believes that a toddler will start to develop the life skill empathy around 3 years of age. According to an Article from the University Of Pittsburg Office Of Childhood Development, “pre-school aged children begin to learn empathy from what they see and experience, mostly in their own lives. They may still have a difficult time seeing things from someone else’s point of view and understanding why someone may not feel the same way as they do. But they are beginning to take cues from the way they are treated by