Empathy is the ability of an individual to understand the feelings of another person by putting himself in his shoes. Effective communication occurs when empathy is established and individuals agree. Unfortunately, most people cannot understand how to empathize and often selfishly argue that they are right. By establishing empathy, it will become easier to understand the other person.
The foundation of empathy is laid in the first years of life. The compassion and loving care that a mother shows towards her child also enables the child to show compassion and care towards his environment. Babies who feel valuable in the first years of life and trust that their mothers will always love them, show this love and value to the people around them.
Warm and loving relationships established with adults who provide basic care in the early period provide a sense of trust, and this feeling of trust is not only important for children. It frees not only themselves but also other individuals to think. The experience of a negative relationship with adults who provide primary care creates a risk for antisocial behavior.
To support the child's empathy development:
-
Children should be helped to name their emotions. During the preschool period, most children use the words happy or sad, but they are inadequate to express what they feel. It is necessary to introduce them to words related to emotions through stories or daily events.
-
Your feelings about the people around you and how you share your sadness and joy with them should be discussed with children.
-
You should cut out pictures of facial expressions from magazines and newspapers, ask questions such as "Why do you think she might be angry?" and talk about the reasons for the emotions.
-
A warm and supportive relationship with children.
While contributing to children's empathy skills, children should be listened to adequately, supported to name their feelings, encouraged to express their feelings and thoughts, their awareness should be increased, and conversations should be held on experiences or a fictional event. , take care to create the feeling of being understood towards him, as expected from him. should be achieved.
Read: 0
