Empathy Lessons

Recent Posts - page 2

• Empathy and the True Believer

  By Lou Agosta on November 29, 2020

  

  It is a high probability you are dealing with a True Believer when, in the face of a setback to the Belief System (whether religion, political party, social movement, or spiritual cause) the adherent to the cause Doubles Down. Key term: double down.

• Noted in passing: Arnold Goldberg, MD, innovator in self psychology and empathy (1929-2020)

  By Lou Agosta on November 12, 2020

  

  Arnold I. Goldberg, MD (1929-2020) was an innovator in psychoanalysis and self psychology, a prolific author (really prolific!), an inspiring educator, and simply a wonderful human being.

• A Rumor of Empathy is now a podcast (series)

  By Lou Agosta on November 8, 2020

  

  A rumor of empathy learns about a report of an alleged example of empathy in the work, actions, or conversation of a person or organization. I then reach out to the person and talk to them in detail about the work they are doing to confirm or disconfirm the validity of the rumor.

• Empathy and humor – resistance to empathy?

  By Lou Agosta on October 22, 2020

  

  Both empathy and humor create and expand community. Both empathy and humor cross the boundary between self and other. Both empathy and humor relieve stress and reduce tension.

• Empathy and Architecture: On Foundations

  By Lou Agosta on October 5, 2020

  

  Empathy is about relationships. Architecture is about building things that last. Building lasting relationships? A marriage made in heaven?

• Empathy and Vulnerability

  By Lou Agosta on September 20, 2020

  

  Empathy means being firm but flexible about boundaries. The most empathic people that I know are also the strongest and most assertive regarding respect for boundaries. Being empathic does not mean being a push over. You wouldn’t want to mess with them. Where such people show up, empathy lives—shame and bullying have no place.

• The trouble with – the trouble with – empathy

  By Lou Agosta on September 6, 2020

  

  Empathy flourishes in a space of acceptance and tolerance. But acceptance and tolerance have their dark side, too. People can be intolerant and unaccepting. Be accepting of what? Be accepting of intolerance? Be tolerant of intolerance? Yes, be tolerant, but… Read More ›

• Empathy and Hermeneutics

  By Lou Agosta on August 7, 2020

  

  Empathy has been given a bad rap in hermeneutic circles by being degraded to a psychological mechanism whereas empathy is rather a way of being in relatedness to individuals and community. Key term: being in relatedness. (For those who may… Read More ›

• Freud and empathy: Lost in translation

  By Lou Agosta on July 19, 2020

  

  Freud is explicit about his commitment to empathy. He writes and publishes the following: It is certainly possible to forfeit this first success [in therapy] if one takes up any standpoint other than one of empathy such as moralizing (“Further… Read More ›

• Empathy and gender

  By Lou Agosta on June 21, 2020

  

  Biology is not destiny. As Simone de Beauvoir noted in The Second Sex, woman is not a mere womb. Though de Beauvoir did not explicitly say so, I believe de Beauvoir [and many feminists] would agree: man is not mere… Read More ›

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