Why and How Should We Enhance Empathy Development in Children in Early and Middle Childhood
Abstract
The ability to respond with empathy is one of the key elements of socio-emotional development, determining, among other things, one’s behaviour toward others and the quality of social relationships. Taking into account the increase in social diversity nowadays, in order to understand the behaviour of peers and adults who differ from themselves in various ways, children need to be able to empathise with them from the earliest years of life. The purpose of the article is to show the importance of the process and ways of enhancing empathy in children. The article begins with a brief explanation of the construct of empathy and outlines its normative development in early and middle childhood. It summarizes research results pointing to links between children’s empathy and socio-emotional functioning. It discusses environmental factors, related mainly to activities within the peer group and child-teacher relations, that promote the development of empathy. Information about the ways of communicating, types of activities or elements of training beneficial for empathy development might be valuable for practitioners interested in developing empathy in children. Preschool and school environments can play a key role in the development of children’s pro-social behaviour, moral reasoning and good peer relationships, preventing the children’s aggressive behaviour.
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