Empathy in Academe: On the Origins of Pathological Altruism.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Empathy in Academe: On the Origins of Pathological Altruism.
Authors:	Oakley, Barbara¹ oakley@oakland.edu
Source:	Academic Questions. Mar2014, Vol. 27 Issue 1, p48-64. 17p.
Subject Terms:	Altruism, Social sciences education, Empathy, Higher education, Social advocacy, Stroke
Abstract:	• Our ability to care for others depends on emotionally-based empathic considerations as well as on rational considerations. • Academic research and teaching in the social sciences has placed ever-increasing emphasis on empathy, focusing on its positive attributes and its importance in motivating us to help others. • The many negative aspects of empathy have been neglected in both research and teaching. The importance of rational considerations in relation to altruistic efforts, particularly altruistic social activism efforts, have also been neglected or minimized. • Childhood and adolescent training that discounts, minimizes, and even denigrates rational considerations in relation to helping others may create neurological scaffolds for later ideological indoctrination. In adulthood, lack of experience in considering rational objections can make it difficult even for highly intelligent individuals to cope with counterfactuals when their efforts to help do not prove effective. • Biased academic approaches to empathy and altruism have affected the tens of millions of college students who have taken courses in the social sciences, either as their major, or as a component of their required general education college and university classes. • Providing a more informed balance to academic approaches involving caring for others could have a surprisingly powerful positive social impact. It could also help build a productive communication bridge between differing political approaches to societal challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	• Our ability to care for others depends on emotionally-based empathic considerations as well as on rational considerations. • Academic research and teaching in the social sciences has placed ever-increasing emphasis on empathy, focusing on its positive attributes and its importance in motivating us to help others. • The many negative aspects of empathy have been neglected in both research and teaching. The importance of rational considerations in relation to altruistic efforts, particularly altruistic social activism efforts, have also been neglected or minimized. • Childhood and adolescent training that discounts, minimizes, and even denigrates rational considerations in relation to helping others may create neurological scaffolds for later ideological indoctrination. In adulthood, lack of experience in considering rational objections can make it difficult even for highly intelligent individuals to cope with counterfactuals when their efforts to help do not prove effective. • Biased academic approaches to empathy and altruism have affected the tens of millions of college students who have taken courses in the social sciences, either as their major, or as a component of their required general education college and university classes. • Providing a more informed balance to academic approaches involving caring for others could have a surprisingly powerful positive social impact. It could also help build a productive communication bridge between differing political approaches to societal challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	08954852
DOI:	10.1007/s12129-013-9403-2