You are wrong. Studies show it can be very much affected by environment. Look at all the research on watching violence. Studies show that people (inlcuding children) who watch violence become inured to it- which is the same as saying they lost their empathy, and not only for characters on film/tv- they lose it for real people, in 3d.
If children are not taught about other people's feelings, they will not have as deep a grasp of them as children who are taught about them. This teaching can be implicit or explicit- but without it, a child will likely not be as empathetic as he or she could be. Part of the way you teach empathy- you see mothers do all the time. You hear them say "How would YOU feel if someone did that to you"- when they try to tell their small children not to do something. That funny thing parents do- "You bit your SISTER??? How about if I bite YOU"- that is teaching empathy. They are teaching empathy whether they can put it in to words or not. It is necessary in a peaceful society to be empathetic to avoid violence, and conflict. Because conflict, cruelty and violence result when people do not understand other people, or do not care what happens to other people.
There are many studies on this- I read a particularly good one in Science about a part of the brain, damaged in autistics, where we process the human face- this has HUGE implications for their ability to empathize since they process people in the portion of the brain normally reserved for objects. But unlike autistics- people with normal brains can develop that area of the brain...or not.
here is just one article I found dealing with this. There is a tremendous amount of new research in this area- Bland might want to read up.
neuroscience.about.com;
--Empathy. Even though children under 7 typically can't take another person's perspective, Jensen
suggests talking as if they can. Eventually, the messages will get through: ``How would you feel if you
were playing with a toy and someone grabbed it?''
By kindergarten, Jensen says you can have conversations with a child to make her emotionally
self-aware; for instance, ``What do you notice about yourself in a group? Are you someone who jumps
right in or likes to watch for a while?'' Then help her use that understanding to make conscious decisions
about how to behave: ``Wouldn't it be an interesting experiment to go to this birthday party and try acting
in a different way, just to see what it would be like?''
She says people who are coached on emotional awareness in childhood grow up more aware of
their strengths and weaknesses and make choices that are responsible and accountable.
``All in all, it doesn't just make for better people,'' she says. ``It makes for a better world.'' |
