Building on the latest research in brain science, emotional intelligence, and organizational theory, an award-winning communication and organizational strategist answers questions about the true definition of empathy. This groundbreaking exploration into business productivity and office management offers both real-world insights and practical ways to build transformative empathy skills organization-wide. It shows how learning about and teaching empathy in the workplace can improve productivity, innovation, and profitability. The guide also provides an innovative framework to help leaders meet the six universal needs of the organization itself while also respecting those of individual employees and customers.
"Building on research in brain science, emotional intelligence, and organisational theory, this title answers questions about the true definition of empathy. It presents an exploration into business productivity and office management that offers both real-world insights and practical ways to build transformative empathy skills organisation-wide." --Publisher description.
This book applies new scientific research in the fields of biology and genetics to an empirical study of the Greco-Roman civilizations and the European Renaissance. These two periods were remarkable in part because of the dominance of empathy and humanism in the philosophical thought of each era. Both periods were preceded by the influx of many populations and genetic lines, a circumstance this book treats as not coincidental but probably causative. The author cites the expression of new genetic combinations in these periods as evidence that genetic evolution can play a large part in the development of new philosophical concepts, as manifested in these two periods. The author explains that humanistic traits seem to rise and fall in lockstep throughout human history, directly or indirectly correlating with changing genetic underpinnings.
In this "compelling scientific detective story," a leading neuroscientist looks for the nature of human kindness in the brains of heroes and psychopaths (Wall Street Journal). At fourteen, Amber could boast of killing her guinea pig, threatening to burn down her home, and seducing men in exchange for gifts. She used the tools she had available to get what she wanted, and, she didn't care about the damage she inflicted. A few miles away, Lenny Skutnik was so concerned about the life of a drowning woman that he jumped into the ice-cold river to save her. How could Amber care so little about others' lives, while Lenny cared so much? Abigail Marsh studied the brains of both psychopathic children and extreme altruists and found that the answer lies in our ability to recognize others' fear. And as The Fear Factor argues, by studying people who demonstrate heroic and evil behaviors, we can learn more about how human morality is coded in the brain. A path-breaking read, The Fear Factor is essential for anyone seeking to understand the heights and depths of human nature.
New York Post Best Book of 2016 We often think of our capacity to experience the suffering of others as the ultimate source of goodness. Many of our wisest policy-makers, activists, scientists, and philosophers agree that the only problem with empathy is that we don’t have enough of it. Nothing could be farther from the truth, argues Yale researcher Paul Bloom. In AGAINST EMPATHY, Bloom reveals empathy to be one of the leading motivators of inequality and immorality in society. Far from helping us to improve the lives of others, empathy is a capricious and irrational emotion that appeals to our narrow prejudices. It muddles our judgment and, ironically, often leads to cruelty. We are at our best when we are smart enough not to rely on it, but to draw instead upon a more distanced compassion. Basing his argument on groundbreaking scientific findings, Bloom makes the case that some of the worst decisions made by individuals and nations—who to give money to, when to go to war, how to respond to climate change, and who to imprison—are too often motivated by honest, yet misplaced, emotions. With precision and wit, he demonstrates how empathy distorts our judgment in every aspect of our lives, from philanthropy and charity to the justice system; from medical care and education to parenting and marriage. Without empathy, Bloom insists, our decisions would be clearer, fairer, and—yes—ultimately more moral. Brilliantly argued, urgent and humane, AGAINST EMPATHY shows us that, when it comes to both major policy decisions and the choices we make in our everyday lives, limiting our impulse toward empathy is often the most compassionate choice we can make.
The book gathers the chapters of Cognitive InfoCommunication research relevant to a variety of application areas, including data visualization, emotion expression, brain-computer interfaces or speech technologies. It provides an overview of the kind of cognitive capabilities that are being analyzed and developed. Based on this common ground, it may become possible to see new opportunities for synergy among disciplines that were heretofore viewed as being separate. Cognitive InfoCommunication begins by modeling human cognitive states and aptitudes in order to better understand what the user of a system is capable of comprehending and doing. The patterns of exploration and the specific tools that are described can certainly be of interest and of great relevance for all researchers who focus on modeling human states and aptitudes. This innovative research area provides answers to the latest challenges in influence of cognitive states and aptitudes in order to facilitate learning or generally improve performance in certain cognitive tasks such as decision making. Some capabilities are purely human, while others are purely artificial, but in general this distinction is rarely clear-cut. Therefore, when discussing new human cognitive capabilities, the technological background which makes them possible cannot be neglected, and indeed often plays a central role. This book highlights the synergy between various fields that are perfectly fit under the umbrella of CogInfoCom and contribute to understanding and developing new, human-artificial intelligence hybrid capabilities. These, merged capabilities are currently appearing, and the importance of the role they play in everyday life are unique to the cognitive entity generation that is currently growing up.
Readings in the Theory of Individual Psychology presents an overview of the central theoretical tenets and specific fundamental concepts of Individual Psychology, framed on terms that make it possible to verify empirically many of these theoretical foundations. Sections of the book are organized into subject areas such as social interest, creative self, lifestyle, and family constellation, each containing seminal articles by Adler, Dreikurs, and other founding thinkers, and introduced with an original essay by a contemporary scholar. Readings in the Theory of Individual Psychology informs the reader of the recent and current theory in Individual Psychology, presented in order to generate new empirical research and future directions for development. Slavik and Carlson have pulled together a truly unique source for current thinking and theorizing in the field, providing the next generation of researchers, scholars, and scientists with the tools to move Individual Psychology into its next phase of refinement.
