1.
Empathy
Damian Szerszen

2.
Thesis
Why do we as a society have the drive
to succeed not as one person, but as a
whole? What gives us the power to want
to help others, those in need?
I am going to prove that empathy is
a part of nature, something we are
born with that we all feel and see in
our everyday lives.

3.
What is
Empathy?

4.
Sympathy -
You feel for the
person (pity, sorrow),
but you don’t
necessarily understand
how they are feeling

5.
Sympathy

6.
Empathy -
You share the feeling with
the person.You are putting
yourself in the person’s
place, and have a good
sense of how they feel (to
some degree)

7.
Empathy

8.
Compassion -
You try to share their
feelings, but also take
action to try to
relieve the pain the
person has.

9.
Compassion

10.
Altruism -
1) Loving others as yourself
2) Behavior that promotes
the survival chances of others
at the cost of ones own
3) Self-sacrifice for the
benefits of others

11.
Altruism in History

12.
Gandhi
“Be the change
you want to see in
the world”
-Mahatma Gandhi

13.
Martin Luther
King Jr.
“Every man must decide whether he will
walk in the light of creative altruism or in
the darkness of destructive selfishness.”
- Martin Luther King Jr.

14.
Mother Teresa
"I alone cannot change the world, but
I can cast a stone across the waters to
create many ripples."
-Mother Teresa

15.
Types of
Empathy
“Love and compassion are
necessities, not luxuries.
Without them humanity
could not survive.”
-14th Dalai Lama

16.
Empathy
towards
loved ones

17.
Empathy
towards the
suffering

18.
Empathy
based on
understanding
and respect

19.
Darwin
• Darwinism - a theory of
organic evolution claiming
that new species arise
and are perpetuated by
natural selection
• Social Darwinism - a
• Darwin believed that the theory that the laws of
world should be ruled evolution by natural
through social darwinism. selection also apply to
• Only the strong shall social structures
survive.

20.
Darwin
• I disagree with Darwin’s
statement “survival of
the fittest”
• It’s not possible to
abandon others, it goes
against our nature as
humans.

21.
Natural Love
& Affection
As children we
do not show love
and compassion
because of the
law or religion,
but because we
know to do so
naturally.

22.
Animals
80% of the
monkeys stopped
pulling the chain
with more food.

23.
Animals
Without compassion
towards each other,
animals would not
form packs, or
nurture their young.

24.
Empathy between
Humans & Animals
“Closeness to animals can
reduce alienation, and that
children’s empathy, self-
esteem, self-control and
autonomy could be
promoted by raising pets.”

25.
Children
Your body
“mirrors” the
pain of others, to
your pain sensors
causing you to be
in pain.

26.
Lacking
Empathy
Children with Conduct Disorder either
enjoy causing pain towards others
OR
feel such levels of secondary pain, that they
feel they must lash out aggressively
This combination can lead to psychopaths

27.
Why do we
feel Empathy?
• Is it possible to develop empathy?
• Most of us are born with a combination of
skills that make up our empathetic views
• It is possible to have these parts of our
brains be affected when we are children

28.
Personal
Relevance

29.
7th Grade

30.
8th Grade

31.
10th & 11th
Grade

32.
My Application

33.
My Application

34.
My Application

35.
My Application

36.
My Application

37.
My Application

38.
`

39.
Class Activity
Put yourself in a real life situation:
Pick five of the most important items
you need for your new house.

40.
Application

41.
Works Cited
• Broederlow, Christel. “About empathy and empaths.” www.about.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. a rel="nofollow"
href="http://healing.about.com/">http://healing.about.com/‌cs/‌empathic/‌a/‌uc_empathtraits.htm>.
• Cromie, William J. “New technology gauges empathy.” http://news.harvard.edu/‌. N.p., 8 Mar. 2007. Web. 2 Jan. 2011. a
rel="nofollow" href="http://news.harvard.edu/">http://news.harvard.edu/‌gazette/‌story/‌2007/‌03/‌i-know-just-how-you-
feel/>.
• Lewis, Hunter, and Scott M Peck. “Value System based on Emotion.” A Question of Values. Ed. . New York: HarperCollins
Publishers, 1991. 86-97. Print.
★ Poresky, Robert H, and Charles Hendrix. “Companion Animal Bonding, Children’s Home Environments, and Young Children’s
Social Developments.” Companion Animal Bonding, Children’s Home Environments, and Young Children’s Social Developments
Apr. 1989: 1-10. JSTOR. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. a rel=nofollow href="http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/resultsadvanced?
vid=3&hid=112&sid=f214a705-e8f6-44e2-886e-9cb3f60c205f%40sessionmgr104&bquery=">http://web.ebscohost.com/
ehost/resultsadvanced?vid=3&hid=112&am...
(empathy)&bdata=JmRiPWVyaWMmZGI9bmZoJmRiPXRyaCZ0eXBlPTEmc2l0ZT1laG9
• Lama XIV, Dalai, and Alexander Berzin. "Compassion Based on Biology and Reason."The Berzin Archives. Dr. Alexander
Berzin, 28 May 2010. Web. 28 May 2010. a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/sutra/
level2_lamrim/advanced_scope/bodhichitta/
• Dewar, Gwen. "Empathy and the Brain." Parenting Science. 2008. Web. 8 Apr. 2008. a rel="nofollow" href="http://
www.parentingscience.com/empathy-and-the-brain.html%3E.This">http://www.parentingscience.com/empathy-and-the-
brain.html>.
• Engwall, Douglas. "Empathy and Egotism." Web. 7 Sept. 2006. a rel="nofollow" href="http://
www.psychology.ccsu.edu/engwall/Empathy.ppt%3E.The">www.psychology.ccsu.edu/engwall/E

42.
Conclusion