Developing Empathy as a Core Competency and Life Skill in Children

Abstract

Empathy has been studied in accordance to its impact on professional skills and behavior in the fields of medicine, corporations, and educational institutions. As multiple incidents of brutal violence, killing of innocent people on the streets of Pakistan, and apathetic attitudes disseminated even towards young children in schools, the need arises to address the importance and impact of empathy on everyday lives of people in society. The dire need for empathy-building exercises from the grass root level is evident. There is hope if future generations are taught to think of others as well as themselves, giving equal importance to every member of society. This article highlights the importance of empathy and traces its development in the mind of children, as an important core competency and life skill. Prosocial skills are discussed as a precursor and complementary attribute of the essential empathic skill. Future implications of this research lead to the prospect of a national program for building empathic skills for children, in schools across the country, as has been done in the United States, Canada and countries across the world (e.g., by Dan Olweus and Mary Gordon). Keywords: Empathy, Development of Empathy, Prosocial Behaviour, Bullying, Children