Roots of Empathy: responsive parenting, caring societies

Abstract

Abstract. What is common in aggression and in abusive/neglectful parenting is low levels of empathy. Fostering empathy-the ability to identify with another person's feelings-can serve as an antidote to aggression and is crucial to good parenting. Poor parenting and aggression cut across all socio economic levels of the community and, as such, empathy needs to be fostered in all children. During the period of rapid brain development, adversity has a devastating impact on thebaby's developing brain. Repeated experiences of stress are hardwired into thebrain, creating damaging pathways. Risk factors such as domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, maternal depression, maternal addictions, and poverty are not just additive to the vulnerable developing brain; they are multiplicative in thei impact. The parent is the baby's lifeline, mitigating stress for them and helpingthem to learn to regu late their emotions. The impact of poor parenting on a child's life is profound, resulting in insecure attachments which lead to a spectrum of inadequate coping mechanisms, poor emotional regulation, diminished learning potential and low competence. Responsive and nurturing parenting is thekey to optimal early childhood development; it allows the young brain to develop in a way that is less aggressive and more emotionally stable, social and empathic. Good early childhood development leads to good human development. We must match our investment where the opportunity is most ripebuilding parenting capacity. The'Roots of Empathy' program offers real hope in breaking the inter-

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The observed behavioural effects of a universal social-emotional learning program in an elementary school setting

“…The program is designed for elementary school classrooms where a parent and an infant from the neighborhood visit the classroom on a monthly basis. A Roots of Empathy instructor coaches the students to observe the interactions between the infant and the parent in order to better understand the attachment that forms between the two and to recognize the empathetic responses and feeling between the two (Gordon, 2003). The children record the infant' s development over 27 lessons throughout the school year and learn to recognize the baby' s cues and temperament while learning to recognize feelings in others.…”

“…shown that children learn to take the perspective of others and become less likely to bully and exclude others while building skills in democracy and gaining a sense of justice in the classroom (Gordon, 2003). Children demonstrate their learning through meaningful reflection, often through artwork which displays their interpretations of why the infant cries at certain times, for example.…”

“…found a decrease of aggression in the Roots of Empathy group and a rise in the aggression of a comparison group not exposed to the Roots of Empathy program with significant decreases in peer-to-peer conflict and increased prosocial behaviour reported by students and teachers (Gordon, 2003 were more likely to be nominated by peers as having prosocial ability than those of the control group, and the program students significantly decreased in levels of aggression (Schonert-Reichl, 2011).…”