Is Empathy Taught or Innate?
Empathy, the emotion that all living beings share. Such a complex emotion, so raw that it may define the human race. While being so important, a doubt emerges: Is empathy something we learn as time passes, or a thing we are inevitably born with?
The Root of Empathy
According to Developmental Science, it was first believed that children acquired empathy by the second year of life, but this idea was soon discarded after an experiment by Roth-Hanania, Maayan Davidov, and Carolyn Zahn-Waxler. The experiment exposed babies from the ages of six to eighteen months to distressing situations involving their immediate caregivers, mainly their parents. As a result of their age and general cognitive and physical abilities, all children attempted to help their parents, either showing true worry or by attempting to help. At this stage, there was no true difference between gender.
Inevitable to All Humanity
Even in newborns, humans are wired to reflect and react to what they see. Psychology Today says this is how we “get” empathy. Teachers and parents always tell children, “Please share” or “Be nice to your brother.” These help create a response in a child’s brain about what is right or wrong in certain situations, but the foundation is already there from the beginning. Later on in life, empathy is still developing alongside changing situations and environments. The reaction a child has when their friend falls on the swings will not be exactly the same as an adolescent cheering their friend up after a harsh breakup. Even though ages and scenarios differ, the foundation remains the same: caring for another living being. Though empathy becomes more refined over time, it has been present since the day you were born, even if you did not notice it.
What Neurology Illustrates
According to a study conducted by Helen Riess, the way humans experience and interpret their environment is processed in the thalamus, including threat responses, fears, and reactions to unfamiliarity. This area is responsible for the fight or flight response, which activates in situations of unfamiliarity with emotions, either internal or external. Cognitive empathy plays a strong role, especially when emotional empathy is not triggered. This specific type of empathy begins developing around the age of seven, when a child is able to rationally illustrate outcome scenarios and solutions. This is mostly learned through experience and taught beliefs.
Built by Experience
Adults who teach children how to respond to certain situations, express their feelings mindfully, and attend to others’ needs help develop not only empathy but also morality. However, not all experiences will affect a person positively. Childhood neglect, negative beliefs, extreme religious practices, abuse, and trauma may affect a child’s emotional empathy either for the worse, hiding their feelings and being unable to understand emotion thoroughly, or for the better, increased as a coping mechanism. Other factors are also impactful, including stress, age, hormones, perceived threat, emotional regulation, prefrontal cortex development, brain structure, and genetics.
The Possibility of Change
Doubt often emerges when the question arises: May empathy be learned later in life? Simply put, the answer is yes. Perspective takes a large share of the credit when empathy comes into action. Understanding a person’s needs and emotions helps individuals respond appropriately to a situation. In some cases, a person relies primarily on cognitive empathy due to factors such as previous beliefs, negative early experiences, or trauma. If they are willing to develop this further, personal growth can occur through self-exploration, such as meditation, journaling, and reading, or with the support of a professional.
The question arises: can empathy decrease? In fully grown adults, it can. A prime example is medical students who are harshly taught throughout their careers to minimally involve emotions when treating a patient. This also works as a defense mechanism to prevent feelings from interfering with performance. Women still scored higher than men on self-report diagnostic measures, but they also experienced a decline. This may be due to the tension between idealism and realism, as well as increased workload.
At the Core
Empathy is both innate and learned. Cognitive empathy, which is primarily learned, is the ability to understand and respond to others’ emotions through intellectual processing, while emotional empathy, which is innate, is the ability to feel others’ emotions as if they were one’s own. Both play important roles in resolution and balance each other. Empathy is what makes us human, yet it also makes us vulnerable and distinct, as no two people experience emotions in the same way.