The term empathy refers to the ability to recognize and understand another individual’s emotions. The term is generally attributed to pro-social behaviour in humans. However, the question arises as to whether it’s only humans that are capable of sharing this understanding among one another, or whether other organisms are also able to empathize with each other. Empathy can be expressed in many difference ways, ranging from something as simple as yawning to having a better cognitive and behavioural understanding of another individual's behaviour. It is still unclear whether animals do indeed experience emotional empathy, however in studies conducted by Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal et al; Empathy and prosocial behaviour in rats , Andeson et al; Contagious yawning in chimpanzees, and Edgar et al; emotional empathy in chickens, the trait was among various organisms. By determining whether animals do feel these emotions, certain implications can be made about the welfare of these animal, and how they are treated.
Rats are one of the most common animals used in labs, so it would seem right to first explore whether they express empathetic behaviour. In a study conducted by Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal et al, rats were subject to various conditions in which observations were made as to whether rats expressed pro social behaviour or not. The experiment consisted of placing a pair rats in a large cage, with one of the ‘cagemates’ being placed in an isolated restrainer. This situation continued for 12 days, with the results showing that it took an average of 6.9±2.9 days for the rats to break the cagemate out (Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal. 2011). Control conditions included having a rat with an empty restrainer, as well as having two rats, with neither being in th...
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...been determined that some creatures do certainly display signs of empathic behaviour. In a study conducted by Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal et al it was determined that rats exhibit pro social behaviour when placed in a situation wherein another rat was in distress. Adult chimpanzees were also shown to display emphatic behaviour; in a study by Anderson et al, contagious yawning was found to prevalent in the chimpanzees. Inconclusive evidence was also found in chickens when experiments were conducted to test pro social behaviour . Which raises the question whether empathy can be classified as being only a mammalian trait. A major pitfall to all the studies being done was the real definition of the word empathy. Each of studies that were reviewed measured empathy in different contexts, making it difficult to generalize the results. However it is possible to conclude that
The article Empathy as a Personality Disposition written by John A. Johnson delves into the idea of what comprises one's personality in order to explore the idea of empathy as a behavioral talent. We are introduced to the concept of personality through the lens of experimental social-psychology. This perspective presents the idea that the perceived sincerity of a front as well as the clues to a person's inner personality is based on the verbal and involuntary nonverbal mannerisms that the audience automatically picks up from an individual's performance. It also indicates that these fronts are selected as a result of the combination of an individual's inherit talents and the larger influence of the world around them. The article also explores
In the article “A change of heart about animals” author Jeremy Rifkin uses rhetorical appeals such as ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade humanity in a desperate attempt to at the very least have empathy for “our fellow creatures” on account of the numerous research done in pursuit of animal rights. Rifkin explains here that animals are more like us than we imagined, that we are not the only creatures that experience complex emotions, and that we are not the only ones who deserve empathy.
Empathy, evidently, existed only within the human community, whereas intelligence to some degree could be found throughout every phylum and order including the arachnida. For one thing, the empathic faculty probably required an unimpaired group instinct; a solitary organism, such as a spider, would have no use for it; in fact it would tend to abort a spider's ability to survive. It would make him conscious of the desire to live on the part of his prey. Hence all predators, even highly developed mammals such as cats, would starve. Empathy, he once had decided, must be limited to herbivores or anyhow omnivores who could depart from a meat diet.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Compassion and empathy inspire change in a society whether it be changing individual’s usual way of thinking, uniting, or accepting those who are different. Individuals can use their compassion for something to cause a change in someone else’s thought of that thing. Several people have used empathy to bring others feelings together. People can also use empathy to show others to have acceptance towards ones who may not be like themselves.
There are many theories today the support the idea of animals having emotions. I personally believe that ducks have emotions. Many of the class readings such as “Yes, Animals Have Feelings” by Jonathan Balcombe, and Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin support the theory of animals having emotions. My definition of emotion is a state of mind that is based off internal or external circumstances. I started observing ducks to help support my idea the ducks have emotions. By using the readings and combining it with my observations I had a case for ducks having emotions. I am observing changes in behavior or actions that show emotions such as happiness, trust and caring. The article ‘Yes, Animals Have Feelings” by Jonathan Balcombe discusses
Human morality could have clearly grown out of primate sociality. Though being morally aware may be a uniquely human trait, many species such as primates, dogs and ants, all known for living in a group, have been known to exhibit pre-moral sentiments. Concepts such as attachment, bonding, empathy, and
To be able to understand how empathy works between a certain group of people, it is necessary to know what empathy means. I found an interesting definition of empathy, as a crucial component of the helping relationship, a need to understand people ' distress, and to provide supportive interpersonal communication. Empathy is the ability to recognize the emotions of others. Empathy does not mean that we live other people’ emotions, but it means that we understand other people ' emotions from our experiences. Empathy does not mean to cancel your personality, but to understand how people perceive the reality. It is the ability to read information coming through nonverbal channels. In this
Burton defines empathy as the ability to not only recognize but also to share another person’s or a fictional character’s or a sentient beings’ emotions. It involves seeing a person’s situation from his or her own perspective and then sharing his or her emotions and distress (1). Chismar posits that to empathize is basically to respond to another person’ perceived state of emotion by experiencing similar feelings. Empathy, therefore, implies sharing another person’s feeling without necessary showing any affection or desire to help. For one to empathize, he or she must at least care for, be interested in or concerned about
Empathy is used to create change in the world by reaching out to the emotions of people and attending to them. It is used to help others learn and decide on matters that would not be reasonable without feelings attached to them. Empathy helps bring together communities that would have long ago drifted apart, but instead welcomed all who were different. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. This attribute of human-beings really allows us to not only attend to situations as if they were our own, but it allows us to feel most of what others feel because humans are very much alike in some ways. In many of the articles and novels that we have read this quarter, characters from different pieces of context have portrayed empathy whether it was toward
Empathy is imperative to teach kids from a young age in order to help them recognize mental states, such as thoughts and emotions, in themselves and others. Vital lessons, such as walking in another’s shoes or looking at a situation in their perspective, apprehends the significance of the feelings of another. Our point of view must continuously be altered, recognizing the emotions and background of the individual. We must not focus all of our attention on our self-interest. In the excerpt, Empathy, written by Stephen Dunn, we analyze the process of determining the sentiment of someone.
“Do animals have emotions?” When animal lovers and pet owners are asked this question, the answer is a quick and definite, “Yes!” For others, the answer isn 't so simple. Many of the researchers that had reservations, spent their time wondering what dogs (and other animals) were capable of feeling, or if they were capable of feeling anything at all. Since these researchers were unable to put feelings under a microscope, their research lead no where, and they remained skeptics. To the contrary,Marc Bekoff, author of several books including The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy and Why They Matter, begins his research three decades ago with the question, “What does it feel like to be a
Does the average person in today’s society lack empathy? That is the question that shall be asked. Two experiments was conducted to answer this question. One experiment used a “VR”, virtual reality program, to see how people react to other people’s pain, for instance black and white (Beason). The other experiment took two different groups and scrutinized how people reacted to people that are living a rough life (Reynolds). Another thing that will answer this question is just thinking about everyday life and what has been seen like a person that is in need.Even though a man acted blind and some people had empathy for him, people in today’s society lack empathy because there may be a man sitting on the side of the road with nothing and the people
I think that empathy could be either a choice or natural. For the argument of that empathy is a choice, it should be partially formed by sociability. The sociability that comes from your parents, and how they raised you, should shape how a person is to another person. Such as social norms of being nice to each other, that is a learned behavior that you choose to demonstrate. On the side of empathy being natural, I also believe that humans have a natural instinct to help. No matter how you were raised, especially children at a young age will act on helping someone if it looks like they need help. That can go on to say, that empathy is an automated response. As people get older, their instinct to help or care might decline because of being neglected
The experiments and other data show that animals are not just driven by instincts alone. There is more to them than that. It is hard to watch dogs play and believe that they derive no fun or pleasure from it at all. Animals have shown that they are sensitive to their social surroundings. They punish one another and alleviate other’s pain. Some monkeys in established communities attack those that find food and don’t share. These studies are important. A better understanding of how animals are feeling could create a whole new guideline of rules on the way animals should be treated. Humans should not be so arrogant to believe they are the only animals capable of emotion. How are we capable of seeing from their viewpoint and assume they feel no emotion.
Yoon, Jennifer M.D., & Tennie, Claudio. (2010). Contagious yawning: a reflection of empathy, mimicry, or contagion? Animal Behaviour.