The earliest work on empathy dates back to Aristotle, mentioned in his treatise, Rhetoric, and again in 1873, empathy was introduced into the world of art and aesthetics (Verducci, 2000). According to Verducci (2000), Friedrich Vischer (1807–1887), advanced the idea that the viewer of a work of art contributes to the perception of form in art. These views were expressed in his work titled Aesthetik, four volumes composed over a decade beginning in 1846 (Verducci, 2000). Vischer’s son, Robert, attached a name to the process, calling it Einfuhlung, literally meaning in-feeling (Verducci, 2000). This word, sometimes attributed to another German psychologist, Theodor Lipps, and the American psychologist, Edward Tichener, who broadened the
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J. Manney reminds us of the story of Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez, as cited in Manney, 2008). In that story the concepts of love and sickness are juxtaposed for brutal contrast. Then, Manney (2008), the chair of the World Transhumanist Association Board of Directors, an organization devoted to the ethical use of technology to extend human capabilities, discusses another pair of seemingly opposing concepts, that of technology and empathy, voicing concerns about technology dehumanizing people, but then mounts a convincing argument that technology increases our humanity. Manney states, “Empathy and technology have been linked for millennia. As a long time social and tool making species, both abilities are evolutionary adaptations for our collective survival” (2008, p. …show more content…
As noted previously, one school of thought stresses that empathy consists only of emotional components (Mehrabian & Epstein, as cited in Davis, 1980). Another school of thought emphasizes the cognitive aspects and equates empathy with the accurate perception of others (Hogan, 1969). I agree with Dr. Mark Davis, professor at Eckerd University and author of over 50 books and articles on empathy, who argues that empathy is multidimensional and requires a number of constructs, including cognitive responses and emotional reactions (Davis, 1980). Davis maintains that at times empathy has been considered by some investigators to be a cognitive phenomenon. He cites the work of Kerr (Kerr, 1947, as cited in Davis, 1980) whose research focused on intellectual processes as accurate perceptions of others. Kerr developed The Empathy Test (Kerr, 1947, as cited in Davis, 1980). This was an attempt to measure an individual 's ability to take on the perspective of other persons. According to Kerr (1949), the test itself asks respondents to estimate how some groups would react to or judge some stimulus (e.g., ranking the popularity of different types of music, such as waltzes, polkas, etc.). Davis (1980) states, “it appears more likely that the Empathy Test taps the individual 's general knowledge than that it measures a specific perspective-taking skill” (p. 5). He says that other researchers such as Mehrabian & Epstein (1972, as
J. Manney reminds us of the story of Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez, as cited in Manney, 2008). In that story the concepts of love and sickness are juxtaposed for brutal contrast. Then, Manney (2008), the chair of the World Transhumanist Association Board of Directors, an organization devoted to the ethical use of technology to extend human capabilities, discusses another pair of seemingly opposing concepts, that of technology and empathy, voicing concerns about technology dehumanizing people, but then mounts a convincing argument that technology increases our humanity. Manney states, “Empathy and technology have been linked for millennia. As a long time social and tool making species, both abilities are evolutionary adaptations for our collective survival” (2008, p. …show more content…
As noted previously, one school of thought stresses that empathy consists only of emotional components (Mehrabian & Epstein, as cited in Davis, 1980). Another school of thought emphasizes the cognitive aspects and equates empathy with the accurate perception of others (Hogan, 1969). I agree with Dr. Mark Davis, professor at Eckerd University and author of over 50 books and articles on empathy, who argues that empathy is multidimensional and requires a number of constructs, including cognitive responses and emotional reactions (Davis, 1980). Davis maintains that at times empathy has been considered by some investigators to be a cognitive phenomenon. He cites the work of Kerr (Kerr, 1947, as cited in Davis, 1980) whose research focused on intellectual processes as accurate perceptions of others. Kerr developed The Empathy Test (Kerr, 1947, as cited in Davis, 1980). This was an attempt to measure an individual 's ability to take on the perspective of other persons. According to Kerr (1949), the test itself asks respondents to estimate how some groups would react to or judge some stimulus (e.g., ranking the popularity of different types of music, such as waltzes, polkas, etc.). Davis (1980) states, “it appears more likely that the Empathy Test taps the individual 's general knowledge than that it measures a specific perspective-taking skill” (p. 5). He says that other researchers such as Mehrabian & Epstein (1972, as