Empathizing me, embodying you: self-compassion, empathy, and visuospatial perspective switching

Kwok, W.K. (Wing Ki)¹, Chiu, C.-D. (Chui-De)^1
1The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hongkong

 

Submission type

Oral only

Scheduled

Parallel Session VI: Keurzaal, 09-06-2018, 13:00 - 14:30

Kernwoorden

Self-compassion, empathy, perspective taking, embodiment

Onderzoeksgebied

Other

Introductie

To empathize and sooth a distressing self or other, one engages in internal dialogue between conflicting self-aspects or interpersonal communication of two minds. In the conversational process, one takes on the role of an unaccepted self or a distressed other and then comes to feel the associated emotional pain, in order to enhance self-to-self and self-to-other understanding. Hence, the ability to take a conflicting perspective and accommodate the associated sensorimotoric experiences may be implicated in both inward and outward empathy.

Materiaal en methodes

Employing a visuospatial perspective taking task incorporated in a set-switching paradigm, it was investigated whether the flexibility of switching between other- and self- perspective played a role in self-compassion and empathy.

Resultaten

Our result showed that quick switch from an embodied other-perspective to self-perspective was associated with self-affirmation and vicarious emotions.

Conclusie

Resuming self-perspective is a shared mechanism that enables both immersion into once-detached emotions of unaccepted self-aspects and simulation of others’ emotions.

Auteurs