Empathetic View Research Articles

See the world from a plant’s perspective: on creating an interactive multimedia sculpture implying plant optics

Humans constantly interact with their environment, with other humans, as well as natural and artificial non-human agents. Nevertheless, our somatosensory system limits the diversity of our ways of communicating. Such organisms as plants thus escape our notice, blending into the landscape. This phenomenon is called Plant blindness. This leads not only to indifference and lack of empathy towards plants among ordinary people but also to a deficit in funding plant conservation. We believe that it is important to develop connections and also rethink the relationship between humans and flora. This paper examines the Plant turn in the context of an art-science project titled Plantoverse. The scientific part of the project is based on a study of plant epidermis cells, which possess optical properties and function as a “lens”. The data acquired via confocal microscopy was used to construct a mathematical model of these lenses which in turn formed the basis of the artistic work. It is a representation of the plant epidermis in a digital environment. The work allows us to look at ourselves through “plant optics'' and find new tools for interacting with the vegetal world. This interdisciplinary approach can help transfer knowledge about flora from the professional environment to lay society and form a new, more empathetic view toward plants.

The Concept of Creatures’ Freedom in Process Theology: A Study on David Ray Griffin's Contributions

This document delves into the realms of Process Theology, especially emphasizing David Ray Griffin's pivotal role in reshaping our understanding of the divine. Rejecting the classical depiction of God as an omnipotent and omniscient entity, it advocates for a portrayal of God as deeply involved in the evolutionary process of the universe. This approach marks a significant shift from traditional theism, proposing instead a reciprocal relationship between God and creation, where influence is mutual rather than one-directional. Process theology is notable for its application of process philosophy, which views the universe as a series of ephemeral 'actual occasions'. These instances embody the interplay between being shaped by past events and navigating towards future self-determination. Griffin’s introduction of panexperientialism further extends this narrative, suggesting that all entities, however simple, engage in a form of experiential existence, thereby challenging the traditional binaries of consciousness and volition. The relationship between the characteristics of the divine and the freedom afforded to creatures is carefully examined. Griffin posits a God whose modus operandi is relational and evolutionary, promoting a model of divine interaction that favors persuasion over coercion. This innovative perspective sheds light on the nature of theodicy, portraying a God who empathizes with the plight of creatures, thus affirming the significance of free will and the capacity for goodness amidst challenges. Griffin's rendition of Process Theology offers a refreshing narrative that reconciles the presence of evil with a benevolent divine essence, presenting God as an integral part of creation's fabric. It paints a universe where divine love, creaturely autonomy, and the complexities of existence are closely knit, offering a hopeful and empathetic view on the divine's role in the cosmic saga.

How Prison Dog Programs Challenge the Racial Code in Correctional Settings and Beyond

ABSTRACT As the governing principle of prison dynamics, the racial code is sacrosanct due to the risk of violence that can result if its norms are violated. The setup of these racial arrangements appears immutable, but previous research finds prison-based concepts of race can be temporarily “suspended” during work assignments. This study is the first to draw upon in-depth interviews with formerly incarcerated participants of prison dog programs (PDPs) in a way that not only contributes to the limited body of literature about the racial organization of incarcerated people, but finds that PDP participation results in elemental changes that de-stabilize these racial identities in a lasting way. Specifically, narratives from participants describe how lived experiences in the PDPs lead to internal and interpersonal shifts that dismantle racialized constructs and move toward a humanizing, empathetic view of others. Ultimately, this study finds that changes resulting from participation in the PDP contribute meaningfully to long-term, successful reentry.

Content-focused coaches' opportunities for professional learning: The influence of positionality in coach discourse

As content-specific instructional coaching gains theoretical and empirical support, the field needs to better understand how such coaches develop content-specific knowledge and effective coaching practices. Collaborative engagement in mathematics has been found to be a useful support for teachers' professional learning about high-quality mathematics instruction. This discourse analysis explores how collaborative engagement in mathematics might support coaches' development. Since coaches are positioned differently than teachers, we analyze how coaches' discursive positioning while collaboratively engaged in mathematics influences their opportunities for professional learning. Drawing on video and interview data, our analysis highlights that positioning coaches as practitioners of mathematics and as teachers of record opened up opportunities for coaches to empathize with students' thinking and to consider instructional adaptations with respect to this empathetic view. However, coaches were rarely positioned as coaches while collaboratively engaged in mathematics, which constrained coaches' learning opportunities about coaching. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Finding the Empathetic Genre

Empathy scholars not just show that when effortfully cultivated, empathy can be recruited for out-grouping, they also assert that literatures, through complex narrative building and perspective taking, can foster a reader’s willingness to simulate the thoughts/feelings of others. Nonetheless, these scholars insist that not all literatures have the same effect on readers. While some such as the romance (that seeks the union of lovers) are more suited for cross-cultural empathy, others like the heroic plot (that celebrates a hero’s ethnocentric victories) strengthen in-groupism. Adopting this theoretical framework, I examine Mirza Waheed’s The Book of Golden Leaves, a modern romance set in the backdrop of occupied Kashmir. The novel explores the Kashmir conflict from the perspectives of a local couple, Faiz and Roohi, as they negotiate their romantic union through obstacles including communal strife, their own ideological positions on Kashmir, and the broader political turmoil in the valley. My goal in this article is to see whether the novel, as a romance, can truly extend an empathetic view to the pain experienced by the diverse residents of the valley or whether it gets built into a heroic plot that ultimately favors a nationalistic political agenda (Indian or Pakistani). This study facilitates fresh ways of exploring empathy and literature and provides insights into understanding the Kashmir conflict.

Glacial Grieving: Melting the Ice Within to See the World Renewed

Later in his life, Carl Gustav Jung became increasingly interested in the alchemical process as a symbolic representation of the individuation journey. By focusing on the stages of the nigredo and the albedo, this paper expands upon the importance of these steps in the psychological process of individuation. Jung (1970a) wrote that individuation “gathers the world to oneself” rather than shutting one out from the world (p. 136). This is an aspect of the journey toward wholeness that is especially relevant in our current era of climate crisis. By exploring the nigredo and the albedo deeply, we can begin to see the many shades of blue that lie underneath. These blues, and the idea of feeling blue, offer a pathway to empathy and understanding through our shared grief. With a careful examination of The Red Book: Liber Novus (Jung, 2009), after a time of traumatic ambiguous loss, and amplified with the images of ice in our warming world, this paper takes a paradoxical journey. From the blues of the Arctic ice to the bright red of Liber Novus, this black and white path becomes illuminated with a variety of colors. This expanded, empathetic view of the complex image of ice brings with it the gift of the rubedo, a renewed hope born out of death, grief, and chaos.

Workplace violence in healthcare: Towards a psychosocial perspective

Abstract Workplace violence (WPV) in health care settings is an emerging issue worldwide. Type I and Type II WPV are not uncommon and it has significant physical and psychosocial outcomes among health care workers. Little is known about the psychosocial factors of the perpetrators involved in these violent acts. There are various psychosocial theories and risk factors of aggression which can explain WPV. WPV can be viewed as a social problem. Creating an integrated psychosocial model of WPV in health care settings will help health care professionals to have an empathetic view of the persons involved in these aggressive acts. Grief and anticipated loss may be one of the important factors to be addressed in emergency services. This hypothetical model will also help policymakers to create a noble approach to deal with such situations effectively. Studies in the future can focus on validating this model which will have translational implications.

All That Is Solid

What can architecture learn from a direct confrontation with the material afterlives of modern consumption? All That Is Solid is a series of experiments in reuse conducted during a six-week residency at a waste-processing facility in Philadelphia. Through firsthand encounters with the materials and practices of the recycling industry, the project explores how these othered forms of knowledge could serve as a lens for re-examining architecture’s troubled relationship with its material footprints. Working directly with familiar byproducts from the construction and demolition waste stream, the observations and material experiments presented here advocate for an expanded and more empathetic view of architectural materiality—one that places materials in dialogue with other sites, actors, practices, and value systems that unfold far beyond the building envelope.

Culturally competent mental health care

Culturally competent mental health care

Thomas Berry: A Biography by Mary Evelyn Tucker, John Grim, Andrew Angyal

Reviewed by: Thomas Berry: A Biography by Mary Evelyn Tucker, John Grim, Andrew Angyal Ilia Delio OSF Thomas Berry: A Biography. By Mary Evelyn Tucker, John Grim, and Andrew Angyal. New York: Columbia University Press, 2019. 352 pp. $28.95. In this new biography of Thomas Berry, the authors provide a rich, comprehensive narrative of one of the great thinkers of the twentieth century. From his humble beginnings in North Carolina, Berry became a Passionist priest and embarked on a long intellectual and spiritual journey, becoming what he would eventually call a “geologian,” dedicated to the Great Work of a renewed and healthy planet. The authors offer a deeply empathetic view of Berry who grew up in a family [End Page 78] of thirteen children, lived in Japan, and immersed himself in Asian languages, cultures and religions, developing a deep appreciation for the richness and wisdom of the East. After several university stints at St. John’s University and Seton Hall University, Berry established himself at Fordham University at a pivotal time in church and world history. Vatican II had opened the windows of the church to world religions and Berry combined his knowledge of Asian religions with his study of languages, Christianity, and culture and developed a successful graduate program in the History of Religions at Fordham. He also established the Riverdale Center for Religious Research, which became an important center for dialogue on world religions and the healing of the earth. He was an intuitive thinker who lived in the center of epochal change and developed his ideas from a deeply reflective mind. The structure of this biography is such that the reader grows with Berry in the awakening of consciousness to a wider role of world religions in the story of the universe. Berry himself became “fascinated with how religions are cosmological systems that orient humans to their place in the universe and on the Earth” (99). “In the immediate future,” he wrote, “our religious concerns will, I believe, be more cosmological. They will be more sensitive to the universe as the primary religious mode of being and to ourselves being religious through our participation in the religion of the universe” (99). One notes here the profound influence of Teilhard de Chardin and Berry was influential in forming the American Teilhard Association, becoming its first president. His ground-breaking 1978 essay “The New Story” established him as a leading thinker for an earth in crisis. His encounter with the cosmologist Brian Swimme led to a rich collaboration that inspired him to rethink his ideas on religion and cosmos, shifting the emphasis from “story” to the “Great Work.” He spoke of a new era of ecological consciousness, the “Ecozoic Era,” and called attention to the sacred meaning of the earth and its participation in the journey of the universe. [End Page 79] His writings have inspired many dissertations and forums dedicated to the renewal of the earth, such as the Passionist Holy Cross Centre in Canada, Genesis Farm, Green Mountain Monastery, and other centers around the world. His work also influenced Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si, which “seeks to integrate an understanding of Earth’s interconnected life systems with sustainable social, political, and economic systems that enhance the Earth community” (147). The authors, Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, have dedicated their careers to continuing and deepening the legacy of Thomas Berry. Their great love for the man and his work shines through this book and they themselves have established the Thomas Berry Foundation and the Religion and Ecology Forum to continue the Great Work. Berry eventually retired to his native Greensboro, North Carolina and spent his final years in a hermitage where he continued to think and write. His influence on his siblings is noteworthy, especially the close association he shared with his sister Margaret. He was a kind and gentle person right up to his death in 2009, bridging the boundaries that divide through dialogue, friendship, and peace. This is an important book at a time when climate change remains politically divisive and global warming continues unabated. Graduate and undergraduate students alike, as well as persons interested in the welfare of the planet, will benefit...

“Healthcare as a refuge”: building a culture of care in Montreal for refugees and asylum-seekers living with HIV

PurposeBetween 2012 and 2016, the Government of Canada modified health insurance for refugees and asylum seekers. In Quebec, this resulted in refusals of care and uncertainties about publicly reimbursed services, despite guaranteed coverage for people with this status under the provincial plan. The Chronic Viral Illness Service (CVIS) at the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal continued to provide care to refugees and asylum seekers living with HIV. The purpose of this paper is to explain how and why challenges brought by this policy change could be overcome.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative case study was conducted using interviews with patients and staff members, observation sessions and a review of media, documents and articles. A discussion group validated the interpretation of preliminary results.FindingsThe CVIS provides patient-centered care through a multidisciplinary team. It collectively responds to medical, social and legal issues specific to refugees. Its organizational culture and expertise explain the sustained provision of care. The team’s empathetic view of patients, anchored in the service’s history, care for men who have sex with men and commitment to human rights, is key. A culture of care developed over time thanks to the commitment of exemplary figures. Because they countered the team’s values, changes in refugee healthcare coverage strengthened the service’s culture of care. However, the healthcare system reform launched in 2014 in Quebec is perceived as jeopardizing the culture of care, as it makes, refugee and asylum-seeker patients a non-lucrative venture for providers.Originality/valueThis research analyzes the origin of sustained provision of care to refugees and asylum seekers living with HIV through the lens of culture of care. It considers the historical and political contexts in which this culture developed.

Chitra Banerjee’s empathetic view of Draupadi as a protagonist in The Palace of Illusion

It is said that “Whatever is here is found elsewhere. But whatever is not here is nowhere else.” These lines are said for the great epic of India The Mahabharata. The name means “great [story of the] Bharatas.” Bharata was an early ancestor of both the Pandavas and Kauravas who fought each other in a great war, but the word is also used for the Indian race, so the Mahabharata Sometimes is referred to as “the great story of India.” The portrayals of women Characters in this epic were left unsatisfied. It wasn’t as though the epic didn’t have powerful, complex women Characters that affected the action in major ways, for instance, there was the widowed Kunti, mother of Pandavas,who dedicates her life to making sure her sons become kings. There was Gandhari, wife of the sightless Kaurava king, who chooses to blindfold her in marriage, thus relinquishing her power as queen and mother. And most of all, there was Panchali, king Drupad’s beautiful daughter, who has the unique distinction of being married to five men at the same time-the five Pandava brothers, the greatest heroes of their time. Panchaali who, some might argue, by her headstrong actions helps to bring about the destruction of the third Age of man. But in some way, they remained shadowy figures, their thoughts and motives mysterious, their emotions portrayed only when they affected the lives of the male heroes, their roles ultimately subservient to those of their fathers or husbands, brothers or sons. Relevant to today’s war-torn world, The Palace of Illusions takes us back to a time that is half history, half myth, and wholly Magical. Narrated by Panchaali, the wife of the legendary Pandava brothers in the Mahabharat, the novel gives us a new interpretation of this ancient tale.

Reading the Riot Act

This article explores some of the ways in which the act of rioting has been visualized, firstly within reggae music and secondly within the work of several black British artists. The article begins with a consideration of images of burning buildings that were captured during the course of the riots in England in the summer of 2011, before briefly discussing some of the pitfalls in the terminology and language of the ‘riot’. The article discusses the somewhat counter-cultural view of rioting as reflected in reggae music, and the profoundly empathetic view of rioters that is arguably advanced in the work of several key black British artists, across several generations. It argues that the works it discusses do much to shed light on why any given riot, involving black people, takes place.

Is Jorge Amado the Gateway to Brazil, or Not?

In the national and international search for a Brazilian identity, we often say and hear that we are the country of soccer, samba, and Carnaval. This has given us a reputation as a party country, lacking commitment, a reputation reinforced by the economic interests of the entertainment industry. For a long time, particularly within the collective consciousness of the Brazilian people, the predominant perception has been that Brazil is not a "serious country" (many have said Charles De Gaulle was the first to use this phrase in reference to Brazil; however, Carlos Alves de Souza, Brazilian ambas- sador to France during the "Lobster War," cemented its use, and Annick T. Melsan demystified the idea), even though the Brazilian economy and the country's politics have begun to undermine this pejorative reputation. For most Brazilian intellectuals, especially those socially engaged in find- ing a solution to the country's disparities, this view of Brazil is tinged with a profound sadness that arises from the absence of an auspicious present and the distance from a redemptive future. This idea can be found in Paulo Prado's book Retrato do Brasil: Um ensaio sobre a tristeza brasileira (1928) (Portrait of Brazil: An Essay on Brazilian Sadness) and in Gilberto Freyre's classic essays marked by autobiographical witness in Casa-grande e senzala (1933) (The Masters and the Slaves: A Study in the Development of Brazilian Civilization (1946)) and Sobrados e mucambos (1936) (The Mansions and the Shanties: The Making of Modern Brazil (1987)). Additionally, Sergio Buarque de Hollanda in Raizes do Brasil (1936) (Brazilian Roots) and Visao do paraiso (1959) (Vision of Paradise) and Caio Prado Junior in Formacao do Brasil c ontemporâneo (1942) (The Formation of Contemporary Brazil (1967)) highlight "the cordial man,"

The Era of Dichotomies: Immigration and Discourse in Brazilian Schools

Aims: The study aims to map out the way Brazilian school workers discursively construct images of contemporary immigrants in Brazil. It intends to describe and analyze how in their discourse they move back and forth between a negative and a more sympathetic imaginary when talking about the presence of contemporary immigrants in the country. Study Design: Case study. Place and Duration of Study: The study took place in a public school in the town of Cosmopolis in the state of Sao Paulo in Brazil. The school is called E.M.E.B. Educator Paulo Freire. It is situated in Sete de Abril, street number 649, in the district of Vila Damiano, where the interviews took place during August 2011. Methodology: Eighteen Brazilian school workers from the above-mentioned school participated in the three-part study. They filled in a questionnaire, which consisted of 19 thematic closed-ended questions. The completion of this questionnaire took approximately 15 minutes, and then they commented on four news articles, which took another ten minutes, and each of them participated in an interview, which lasted between 40 and 50 minutes. Discourse Analysis was applied to the collected material. Results: The empirical material shows the oscillation of participants between a desire for a hardening of immigration control on the one hand, and an empathetic view in talking about immigrants on the other. Conclusion: Participants think and talk about contemporary immigrants in dichotomies. The dynamics of these dichotomist discourses reveal that the dichotomies essentially involve an inner fight between what the speaker considers to be good and bad, and that they project this onto the immigrants.

Brueghel’s two monkeys: passing the final exam in the history of mankind

As society’s ethical values expand over time, we understand that we must have consideration for more than just ourselves, our race, our gender, and our species. This talk confronts our biases and provides food for thought in moving beyond our current understanding of human-animal relations. History provides a lens through which our current norms can be viewed. It allows us to discern how our behavior might be perceived by future generations, and this perspective can help us understand how to improve our behavior. While it is easy to be appalled by what has been done in the past, it is more challenging to uncover the actions taking place today that will be regarded with horror in the future and, most important by far, to be a part of the necessary change. By modifying one’s perspective to include a more empathetic view of other animals, our obligations and potential become clear.

Preventing Disputes with Empathy

The engineer can prevent future disputes and failed engineering projects by employing a design strategy that incorporates empathy in all professional matters. The empathetic view can prevent disputes by considering the possible harm suffered as the result of engineering decisions. In this paper, we discuss how empathy can be a part of the design process, and we use a case study to show how the lack of empathy resulted in a failed engineering design. We propose that when the empathetic view becomes part of the engineering process, disputes can be avoided rather than resolved.

Aging, the Individual, and Society

This accessible text brings a social problems approach to the interdisciplinary study of gerontology. Academic research is combined with an empathetic view of the lives of older people to involve students emotionally and intellectually.

Roots: Reflections from the Classroom

Alex Haley's book, may well be one of the most significant works of this century. Doubleday published a record 200,000 hardback copies in the first printing. Roots went on to sell 1,500,000 copies in hardback, and the paperback version is expected to set records also. Presently, the book is being translated into twentyfour languages and is a best-seller throughout the world.2 Aside from the millions of people who have read Roots, the television series, or sections of it, was seen by an estimated 130 million Americans from January 23-30, 1977. Various claims have been made about the impact of Roots on Americans, both black and white. Stephens, for example, claimed Roots was successful in changing attitudes, promoting an interest in black history, and developing strong positive self images.3 Time also predicted that the television series would enhance race relations.4 Specifically, Time felt whites would develop a more empathetic view of blacks and a greater appreciation of black history. Additionally, there has been considerable speculation that Roots would interest people of all races in examining their own family history. Apparently, Roots has caused at least some individuals to recognize that their own identity is somehow tied to the 'roots of family history. Roots examined the concept of slavery from the black's point of view. Haley's effort to show the broad spectrum of life styles of blacks within the slavery system was undoubtedly challenging to many Americans who have only been exposed to black history through the public school system. Although blacks are not invisible in current history books as they were before the civil rights movement, textbook analysts have continued to report that

Images of Women in Thomas More's Poetry

Although Thomas More's influence on women's education has been recognized, women in his writings have been too long neglected.' The images of women in More's Latin and English poems deserve special attention because they suggest the range of More's literary approaches to women, and because they can serve as a guide to both the seriousness and importance of these differing approaches. In More's canon women play many parts. Wise queens, utopian priests, innkeepers, vicious wives, teachers, and temptresses are among those to amaze and amuse readers. More's attitude toward these actresses varies from admiring to patronizing, from courtly compliment to empathetic understanding. The sheer number of female characters, and anecdotes about women, testifies to his interest in women; and his modulations of tone suggest a complexity characteristic of the man. Both the empathetic view of women and satiric attacks on their sex can be seen in the Epigrammata. Among the two hundred and fifty epigrams, about twenty mock women. Several of them are translations from the Greek Anthology that was More's primary source and so reflect traditional satire on female vanity, greed, and lust. One epigram, for example, treats the young woman who resisted her rapist until he drew his sword and threatened to leave her. Terrified by so dire a threat she lay down at once and said, 'Go ahead, but it is an act of violence.' 2 Another, more typical, satirizes the unfaithful wife: