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The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible pp 1–10Cite as

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Empathy

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Abstract

Empathy is a possibility skill that is critical for social progress and human interactions. It is a nuanced, multifaceted construct that simultaneously refers to a trait and a state, a response, and a process (Cuff et al. 2016). Although defining empathy represents a research topic per se, a common operationalization refers to it as the capacity to place oneself in another’s position and understand or feel what that person is experiencing. After an overview of the historical roots of the empathy construct, this entry highlights (1) the dimensions of empathy, (2) the development of empathy, (3) protective and risks factors of empathy development, (4) the measurement of empathy, and (5) methods of prevention and intervention on empathy, with a focus on how encouraging empathy could represent an avenue of transformative change.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université Catholique de Louvain, Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Baptiste Barbot, Poline Simon & Nathalie Nader-Grosbois

  2. Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Baptiste Barbot

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  1. Baptiste Barbot
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  2. Poline Simon
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  3. Nathalie Nader-Grosbois
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Correspondence to Baptiste Barbot .

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  1. Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy

    Alice Chirico

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Barbot, B., Simon, P., Nader-Grosbois, N. (2020). Empathy. In: The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98390-5_37-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98390-5_37-1

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