Why Empathy is Sometimes Lacking: The Influence of Environmental Factors

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<div&gt;Chapter Three reviews the reasons why empathy is sometimes lacking.</div&gt;<div&gt;Degrees of empathy are presented first, ranging from a complete lack of empathy to&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;very empathetic behaviour. It is pointed out that empathy is located in the human gene&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;code. However, the development and sustained experience of empathy require a&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;lifelong process of relational interaction that begins with early infancy. Evidence from&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;orphanage studies reveals that the experience of empathy is often necessary for basic&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;survival. The following circumstances are presented as hindering the development of&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;empathy in children: lack of healthy emotions in a primary caregiver; neglect or abuse;</div&gt;<div&gt;the de-emphasis of close family or social relationships in modern Western society; as&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;well as various forms of stress. The positive and negative influences of social media on&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;empathy are discussed. Bullying and evil are compared, and evil acts are presumed to&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;occur as a result of complete empathy erosion and turning people into objects.</div&gt;<div&gt;However, due to the proposition that people are capable of positive change, we are&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;encouraged to view evil not as a permanent personality trait but as a form of severe&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;lack of empathy. Specific reasons why some helping professionals lack skill in&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;applying empathy in the clinical setting are also discussed, followed by suggested&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;strategies for incorporating empathy training into educational programs. In the Case in&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;Point, a new nurse shares her story of not knowing how to respond when confronted&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;with a patient`s sadness. A simulation role play exercise is suggested to practice active&lt;/div&gt;<div&gt;listening and non-verbal communication techniques to convey empathy.</div&gt;