Compassion Development in Higher Education

Abstract

Many schools of psychology and religious studies intend to promote the cultivation of compassion. Compassion is currently an integral area of study in psychology, religious studies, and higher education, specifically in faith-based higher education. While secular universities in the United States strive to generate disciplinary-based knowledge through scholarship, their ability to promote students’ use of the information they are learning to create positive social change has typically lagged. Conscious of the magnitude of today's global issues and dissatisfied with the current disparity between the world's reality and university curricula, scholars have begun to re-imagine the role of higher education in forming the leaders who will face our most exigent problems. The present article reviews how compassion can be integrated into university curriculum, specifically in faith-based institutions. The article also discusses how compassion can be measured throughout the course of undergraduates’ careers.

Psychometric Properties of the Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale

“…Compassion has been defined by Lazarus (1991) as "being moved by another's suffering and wanting to help" (p. 289). However, compassion is not only categorized by a sense of wanting to help, but also through pro-social behaviors such as volunteering one's efforts to help people in need or using one's talents to have a positive effect on the world to lessen another's suffering (Peterson & Seligman 2004;Plante, 2015;Rashedi, Plante, & Callister, 2015;Seligman 2002).…”

Toward a Framework for Interfaith Leadership

“…As Rashedi, Plante, and Callister (2015) have noted, cultivating self-compassion and compassion for others is correlated with positive personal and societal outcomes and, therefore, compassion development ought to be a goal of higher education. Furthermore, they persuasively argue, cultivating compassion among today's students is important for social justice oriented Catholic higher education, especially if educators hope to counter cultural trends toward "competition, selfishness, and the pursuit of profit, status, and power" (p. 134, quoting Spandler and Stickley, 2011, p. 556).…”

Eksplorasi Kebutuhan Anak Dan Pengembangan Model Pengasuhan Di Lembaga Kesejahteraan Sosial Anak (Lksa) Di Abad 21 Di Jakarta

“…Tapi justru dalam era yang memudahkan ini, terjadi disconnection. Manusia menjadi terasing dengan dirinya sendiri, mengalami kebingungan mengenai identitas dirinya, serta terasing dengan sesama dan lingkungan hidupnya (Rashedi, Plante, & Callister, 2015)…”