Why Focus on Empathy ? by Lorraine Gamman
Professor of Design, Central Saint Martins Director of the Design Against Crime Research Centre at University of the Arts London
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
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Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
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Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
CONTENTS 1. Understanding empathy – psychological and cultural definitions 2. Can empathy be taught – can we design for empathy? 3. How art and design help Restorative Justice? 4. How can empathy and design visualization make a contribution to restorative processes in society 5. Conclusion
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
SECTION 1
Understanding empathy – psychological and cultural definitions What is empathy? "The art of stepping imaginatively into the shoes of another person, understanding their feelings and perspectives and using that understanding to guide your actions." Roman Krznaric (2014) Empathy: A Handbook for Revolution, Rider: Ebury Publishing.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
QUESTION? Does empathy have the power to transform relationships, from the personal to the political, and to operate as a catalyst that could create fundamental social change? E.g Research suggests empathy is considered a motivating factor for unselfish, prosocial behaviour, whereas a lack of empathy is related to antisocial behaviour. That’s a big declaration. Restorative justice offers a similar promise, so my view is we truly need to understand empathy better‌
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
What is empathy? Psychological definitions Empathy has two intertwined components. 1. The first described by Hoffman (1987) as “cognitive empathy” meaning to understand someone else’s perspective or being able to engage in “perspective taking.” 2. The second describes a vicarious emotional response “affective empathy” (also defined by Hoffman, 1987 and 2000); this is often called the compassionate response or the appropriate emotional response to someone else’s state of mind. Source: Hoffman, M.L. (1987). The contribution of empathy to justice and moral judgment. In N. Eisenberg and J. Strayer (eds), Empathy and its development (pp. 47-80). New York: Cambridge University Press. Hoffman, M.L. (2000). Empathy and moral development: implications for caring and justice. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Degrees of empathy
Baron-Cohen (2011) suggests that: (i) Empathy is not equally distributed in individuals. (ii) Those who experience it don’t seem to do so in the same way or don’t seem to have it in the same amounts. (iii) Some people also appear to experience what Baron-Cohen calls “zero degrees” of empathy - a phrase he suggests is more useful than notions about “evil”. Source: Baron-Cohen, S. (2011). Zero Degrees of Empathy: A New Theory of Human Cruelty. Cambridge UK: Penguin.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
What is empathy? Cultural influences
Baron-Cohen (2011) findings also suggest that whilst many with autism struggle in the social world, to understand other people’s intentions, thoughts and motives (and often withdraw). Yet their affective empathy is not completely compromised (unlike psychopaths). Source: Baron-Cohen S., Wheelwright S. (2004). "The empathy quotient: an investigation of adults with Asperger Syndrome or high functioning autism, and normal sex differences". Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 34 (2): 163–175.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Degrees of empathy
Source: the below diagram is taken from a lecture given by Simon Baron-Cohen 'Zero Degrees of Empathy' The Forgiveness Project 2013 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fx99H6KPhY) Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
What is empathy? Psychological perspetives
Source: the above diagram is taken from a lecture given by Simon Baron-Cohen 'Zero Degrees of Empathy' The Forgiveness Project 2013 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fx99H6KPhY) Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Degrees of empathy Cultural influences
Baron-Cohen (2011) also suggests that (iv) obedience to an authority figure can impact on temporary lapses of empathy. (v) ideology can influence empathy e.g. it might be another cause of people losing empathy – and history bears witness to this.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Degrees of empathy? Cultural influences on psychology
65,000 Americans with learning disabilities sterilized before Second World War broke out. Winston Churchill advocated the same in 1912 although law not passed but in Europe as late as 1977 Sweden was stlll sterilizing people with learning disabilities.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Degrees of empathy? Cultural influences
History shows us that many nations have shown no empathy to those they regard as outsider groups. Nazi Germany Rwanda ISIS
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
What is empathy? Cultural influences
"Research from teaching has shown that it is more difficult to empathize when there are differences between people including status, culture, religion, language, skin colour, gender, age and so on." Source: Eisenberg N., Miller P. A. (1987). "The relation of empathy to prosocial and related behaviors". Psychological Bulletin 101 (1): 91–119. “Ethnocultural empathy” assumes that empathy toward others probably increases if the other is similar to oneself in terms of ethnicity, gender, age, or cultural background. Source: From Wang, Y. W., Davidson, M. M., Yakushko, O. F., Savoy, H. B., Tan, J. A., & Bleier, J. K. (2003). The Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy: Development, validation, and reliability. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 50(2).
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Nature / Nurture What affects empathy?
Environment is important Empathy is taught and learned –feeling love and affection has impact, as has maltreatment and abuse which affects individual empathy (John Bowlby, 19071990). Source: Bowlby was a British psychologist, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, notable for his interest in child development and for his pioneering work in attachment theory.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Nature / Nurture What affects empathy?
Three biological factors are shown to impact on empathetic development: 1. MAC. A gene is reviewed by scientists who suggest this gene is linked to delinquency. 2. Hormones. Prenatal testosterone affects brain development. At aged 8, some chilren affected show less abiity to read faces/ emotions. 3. Brain structure also affects how empathy is experienced – e.g. damage to brains of highly empathetic people shows after accidents they have less empathy.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Is empathy positive?
Evidence from nursing suggest that whilst there “Positive link between empathy, patients’ outcomes and clinical competence, there are still some inconsistencies in the link between empathy and nurses’ well-being [For example there are controversial results about the correlations between empathy and burn out] and empathy and working stress [7]. Some studies indicate possible associations between empathy and nurse’s fatigue, hunger and depression." Source: Letizia Dal Santo, Sabine Pohl, Luisa Saiani, Adalgisa Battistelli (2014). “Empathy in the emotional interactions with patients. Is it positive for nurses too?" Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, Vol. 4, No. 2.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
SECTION 2 Can empathy be taught can we design for empathy?
A big question for me as a design-led practitioner is whether design can make a contribution? Whether or not an empathy be learned or enhanced? BaronCohen’s work with autism and new work from neuroscience suggests to some degree empathy can taught and learned. Here are some of the tools BaronCohen used to help those with autism learn to recognize emotions, plus others I have found.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Empathy “tools� for autism
The Transporter: An animation series to help children with autism aged between two to eight years old recognise and understand emotions. Mind Read: A unique reference work covering the entire spectrum of human emotions and enables the user to study emotions and to learn the meanings of facial expressions and tone of voice.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
ROOTS OF EMPATHY Roots of Empathy is an evidence-based classroom program that has shown significant effect in reducing levels of aggression among school children while raising social / emotional competence and increasing empathy.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
THE HUMAN LIBRARY
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
The Human Library is an innovative method designed to promote dialogue, reduce prejudices and encourage understanding. It is a mobile library set up as a space for dialogue and interaction. Visitors to a Human Library are given the opportunity to speak informally with “people on loan�, just like an open book.
THE BLIND CAFE The Blind Cafe is a positive change organisation, that uses the concept of darkness to allow people to interact, trust each other, and experience community, music and education in an entire new way. In the dark, there are no uncomfortable glances, no selfconscious about what you're wearing or what you weight, no distinction between the sighted and blind. http://www.theblindcafe.com/
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
BE MY EYES Hans Jorgen Wiberg is the inventor the free app "Be My Eyes" that connects sighted people to blind people. The blind can use the app for help with everyday things like finding out whether a tin of beans is actually beans! Also to help with other tasks such as finding directions. There are roughly around 99,000 sighted people signed up willing to help and 8,000 blind people signed in seeking help. NB. There are safety concerns with the app such as don't show your bank card to anyone you don't know. The app is free although a competitor app exists. http://www.bemyeyes.org
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
PCFF The Parents Circle - Families Forum (PCFF) is a joint Palestinian-Israeli organization of over 600 families, all of whom have lost a close family member as a result of the prolonged conflict. Joint activities have shown that the reconciliation between individuals and nations is possible and it is this insight that they are trying to pass on to both sides of the conflict. Moreover, the PCFF has concluded that the process of reconciliation between nations could be prerequisite to achieving a sustainable peace.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
"Crucial to the ethos of The Forgiveness Project is that it explores rather than propagates forgiveness, reflecting the stories of real people rather than the opinions of experts. Since the charity was founded in 2004 we have been inspired by numerous book, films, websites and lectures."
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Designers have been involved in some of this work too – mainly Designing FOR Empathy includes AGNES - Age Gain Now Empathy System is a suit that has been designed to better understand the physical challenges associated with aging.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
OBESITY SUIT It is difficult for healthcare professionals who have never been overweight, to truly relate to the experience of what it is like to eb an obese person. The Two-Part Obesity Empathy Suit have been developed to raise awareness whilst providing an innovative teaching tool.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Pregnancy suit
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Project Visualisation
Design for Empathy and Conflict Management Experiments (MA Industrial Design students)
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
CSM STUDENT EMPATHY PROJECT
Snoring by Tanatta (Dia) Koshihadej “If it gets to a stage where the snorer ignores pleas from their partner to do something about the problem, then it shows a lack of consideration. This will often start to permeate into other areas of the relationship.” ‘Snoring’ addressed the claim that snoring destroys relationships. The ‘devices’ are designed to encourage empathy in this scenario; an uncomfortable ear protector is worn by the non-snorer and a snoring alarm clock which detects and records the snorer replays the sound back to them to wake them up.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
CSM STUDENT EMPATHY PROJECT
News Clash Muslims are being “demonised”. ‘News Clash’ sought to allow those of one identity, ethnicity or religion to experience the news from the perspective of another. A ‘find’ and ‘replace’ function is added to news platforms such as BBC News Online. On reading the news on the site the user would then gain an insight into what it would feel like to read the news from the perspective of a person that identifies with the word ‘Muslim’.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
CSM STUDENT EMPATHY PROJECT
Hijab by Juhee Jo ‘Hijab’ explored the social conflict surrounding the requirement for the hijab to be removed when passing through airport security. Ethnographic research with both hijab-wearing Muslim women and passport controllers used to develop a communication strategy. Hijab-wearers were handed a postcard that challenged them to ‘find the face’ of a young Muslim woman, whom the student had befriended during her research, from a series of images of people wearing the hijab. Passport officials were also handed a postcard requesting them to remove their trousers.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
CSM STUDENT EMPATHY PROJECT
Polly say the magic words by Ploenpit (Tusy) Nittaramorn ‘Polly say the magic words’ is a toy for people who tend to moan a lot. It aims to help them empathise with a person who is required to listen to their complaints. ‘Polly’ is a toy parrot that can be worn by the complainant or located on a perch in the shared space within the home. ‘Polly’ is able to detect negative words and phrases and record them. On repetition of these phrases ‘Polly’ replays them in a random order enabling the complainant to experience what it is like to have someone close to them constantly complaining.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Roman Krznaric Empathy Museum Proposal (2014)
Roman Krznaric goes further and suggests the world needs an Empathy Museum, an experimental adventure space for stepping into the shoes of another people and looking at the world through their eyes. He says: “It will be an international traveling exhibition and exist online too. The museum could be dedicated to developing the skill of empathising and creating a global revolution of human relationships.�
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
SECTION 3 How art and design help Restorative Justice?
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
The DACRC team have become interested in the way visual material (art and design) as well as creative practice seems to influence subjectivity and empathy – particularly in the work of the National Alliance of Arts in Criminal Justice who have looked at the way arts can lead to “desistance”. Some examples:
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Geese Theatre Company
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
"Perpetrators of domestic abuse watched a piece of theatre created specifically for domestic abuse perpetrator treatment programmes. Audiences of approximately 8-10 men were arranged half on one side of the stage and half on the other (so they could see the performance in the middle, but also see each other): what came out of the research is that the aesthetic distance of them seeing versions of themselves, being portrayed in terms of seeing themselves as perpetrator, victim and child was an important element. But actually a bigger element was seeing their peers observing the performance. It resonated as much as watching the art itself. Which to my mind is fascinating and tells us quite a lot about where we should be heading." Watson further clarified his point by discussing how inmate audiences understand each other experiencing the same thing: "The inmates report: I saw what the ‘actor’ was doing in character and I didn’t like it. I also saw another group member, someone who has been in the group longer than me, and he was really upset – he was looking at the floor and I think he might have been crying. That tells me my feelings about what I am watching are correct - the other guy’s response confirms that it is Ok for me to have this response." Source: Andy Watson, Geese Theatre Company, speaking at an Expert Workshop held at Central Saint Martins in 2014, describing research delivered by the Geese Theatre Company.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Good Vibrations use Gamelan music workshop to help prisoners respond to each other‌ National Arts Alliance Southbank Centre
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
The arts can help build empathy and lead to conflict resolution. That’s probably why the Mayor of Philadelphia, 30 years ago, brought in the artist Jane Golden to persuade those who were seem to be damaging the environment to work with the community to create mural art and help resolve conflict.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
© 1998 & 2011 CITY OF PHILADELPHIA MURAL ARTS PROGRAM ARTIST: MEG SALIGMAN; BROAD & SPRING GARDEN STS. PHOTO BY STEVE WEINIK
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
© 1998 CITY OF PHILADELPHIA MURAL ARTS PROGRAM ARTIST: JANE GOLDEN; 29TH & WHARTON STREETS PHOTO BY JACK RAMSDALE
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
© 1990 CITY OF PHILADELPHIA MURAL ARTS PROGRAM ARTIST: KENT TWITCHELL; 1219 RIDGE AVENUE PHOTO BY JACK RAMSDALE
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
© 1997 CITY OF PHILADELPHIA MURAL ARTS PROGRAM ARTIST: DAVID MCSHANE; 2803 N. BROAD STREET PHOTO BY JACK RAMSDALE
All these projects engage with communities that will experience the art on a day-to-day basis. Ex offenders that participate are required to consider the perspective of how others feel to create the art work. Those viewing the artwork are informed that it is co-created by ex offenders.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
This Philadelphia project is about making colourful cities and including the excluded and connecting people through visual research – ultimately helping to build bridges rather than forcing people to engage with each other. Restorative Justice can't happen unless there is true desire for reparation, but proxy processes have a role to play too...
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Empathy induced by 'proxy processes' (traditionally understood as a process whereby some members of a decision-making body delegate their voting power to other members of the same body to vote in their absence) is often what happens when we watch a film or read a novel, we identify and empathize. I am suggesting we need to understand better how empathy is induced via ‘real’ and ‘proxy’ processes and that currently we lack full understanding about these processes.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Empathy and Proxy Processes?
My hunch is that empathy building, as a prequel stage to a person wanting to engage in restorative process has a role to play in conflict management. Creative processes suggests that direct contact between victims and perpetrator is good but not the only way forward. Three other processes should be considered. 1. How we can build empathy before crime occurs? 2. How we can use proxy processes if the victim finds it unacceptable to meet the perpetrator or vice versa? 3. How else could those in prison could be educated in imaginative and creative ways to better enable them to experience empathy and compassion?
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
SECTION 4 How can empathy and design visualization make a contribution to restorative processes in society?
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Will empathetic individuals lead to empathetic communities? We should not assume positive political developments will automatically occur simply through building empathy.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Different approaches to empathy have different political implications. Krznaric, Roman. 2014. Empathy: a handbook for revolution. London: London Rider Books. Sennett, Richard. 2012. Together: the rituals, pleasures, and politics of the rituals, pleasures, and politics of cooperation. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Empathy museum
Krznaric recognises that consumer society is deskilling people from practising empathy. His idea for an empathy museum is about 'repairing' a perceived 'empathy deficit' in the individual...
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
What tools for conflict resolution?
Sennett is saying something quite different about empathy: "Cooperation requires social skills‌ listening well, behaving tactfully, finding points of agreement, managing disagreement, avoiding frustration in difficult discussion.� Sennett, Richard. 2012. Together: the rituals, pleasures, and politics of the rituals, pleasures, and politics of cooperation. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Empathy can have a particularly political application; by practicing it, a legislator or union leader could – certainly it is a distant possibility – learn from his/ her constituents rather than simply speak in their name. More realistic empathic listening can assist the community worker or priest or teacher mediate in communities where people do not share the same race or identity.
Sennett, Richard. 2012. Together: the rituals, pleasures, and politics of the rituals, pleasures, and politics of cooperation. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Listening and learning from Shirley Pitts, Queen of Thieves
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Listening to Shirley
“I do remember how much the shops have changed from when I went out shoplifting with the Forty Thieves. Even in the 1960s, when I lived in Hoxton with the kids, and the shops first went selfservice, everything seemed much smaller and easier than they are now.� Shirley Pitts
Extracted from Gamman, L. Gone Shopping, The Story of Shirely Pitts, Queen of Thieves, Penguin 1996.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Contextualising the story of Shirley Pitts, Queen of Thieves
19th Century Department store Birth of the criminogenic environment?
1870’s Department store shopping images Suzanne Abelman, When Women Go A Thieving - MiddleClass Shoplifters in the Victorian ‘Department Store’, Oxford University Press, 1989 Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Seeing through Shirley's eyes
Foil-lined bags confiscated from offenders at Bluewater Shopping Centre
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Thinking like Shirley
Questions to consider when trying to think like a shoplifter: • Why do I chose the store I steal from? • On entering the store, does this look easy? • Can I avoid attracting attention? • Can I avoid being seen? • Can I be sure that no one is following me? • How will I get my money without being traced?
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
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Visualising Shirley
Perpetrator Techniques/Shoplifting: Foil-lined bag Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Empathy with a thief inspired the Design Against Crime Research Centre - I felt 'things' as much as people were criminal. I then found Situational Crime Prevention (SCP) but that's another story....
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Sennett locates empathy as: “Cooperation precedes individuation; cooperation is the foundation of human development in that we learn how to be together (with the mother) before we learn to stand apart... Positive cooperation becomes a learned experience rather than just thoughtless sharing‌" Sennett, Richard. 2012. Together: the rituals, pleasures, and politics of the rituals, pleasures, and politics of cooperation. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
But Sennett also understands conflicts. He notes the significance of tribalism in society... social organisations may not lead to conflict resolution, but Sennett talks of need to engage with dialogue. He suggests: "DIALOGIC" is a word coined by Russian literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin to name a discussion which does not resolve itself by finding common ground. Though no shared agreements may be reached through the process of exchange people may become more aware of their own views and expand their understanding of one another. Sennett, Richard. 2012. Together: the rituals, pleasures, and politics of the rituals, pleasures, and politics of cooperation. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, pp. 19.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
So for me design visualisation and design for democracy may have a restorative role, as a form of dialogue - not just resolve conflict, but to articulate difference to deconstruct 'deviance' and to promote the need to live with diversity and difference.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Agonism
Chantal Mouffe (2007), describes the public context in which dissensus occurs as ‘agonistic space’. A space in which different, sometimes oppositional, perspectives and powers compete with dominant wisdom or hegemony, as part of democracy.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
SECTION 5: Conclusion
21st century design research and applied design visualisation has a contribution to make to (a) restorative processes in communities (b) conflict management in communities (c) design for democracy that understands agonism and difference It is a new role for design and we have to carefully understand the responsbilities it brings.
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
Design should engage with restorative process. The world doesn’t need simply MORE products that compromise the planet's sustainability but does need better communications, better cultural processes and experiences that promote tolerance and democracy. A challenge then...
Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy
THANKS Lorraine Gamman
E: l.gamman@csm.arts.ac.uk Lorraine Gamman: Why Focus on Empathy