# data[].attributes.body
This video affects the plot because it addresses how the way Jem grieved, spending time alone/ not playing with Scout, was normal.

# data[].attributes.body
This video explains how prejudice does not only apply  to race but can apply to age, gender, etc. In the book, “To Kill a Mockingbird” Scout judges Walter based off his last name before even getting to know him better.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Prejudice and Discrimination: Crash Course Psychology #39

# data[].attributes.body
In this video, it explains what compassion means to different people and how being compassionate can affect someone’s day. This relates to the book because Scout lacks compassion in many situations and doesn’t acknowledge how the person is feeling.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Can compassion be learned? The answer is yes! Sometimes, all it takes is truly paying attention to the people around us. Visit http://www.happify.com for guided meditations and fun activities to help you build compassion for yourself and others.

# data[].attributes.body
In the story to Kill a Mockingbird Compassion is greatly shown. Calpurnia shows a big role in the stories compassionate role. On page  32 Harper lee writes" I missed you today,the house got so lonesome today...." At a point in the story Scout complains about Calpurnia but she really does care about scout no matter what.

# data[].attributes.body
How does empathy affect the plot in To Kill a Mockingbird? In the story, there are many moments where empathy is shown. On page 7 Lee states "...he would sigh at length,then go off and play by himself behind the car house. When he was like that, I knew better than to bother him." This showed how Scout considered her brothers feelings, and knew when it was best to leave him alone.

# data[].attributes.body
What is Perspective taking,and how does it relate to the story To Kill a Mockingbird? Perspective taking is relating to someone, this relates to the story because throughout the story Scout matures and realizes not everyone was raised like her and her family. On page 27 Calpurnia tells Scout " There's some folks who dont eat like us,...but you ain't called to contradict 'em at the table when they don't. That boy's yo' comp'ny and if he wants to eat up the table cloth you let him, you hear?"

# data[].attributes.body
In To Kill a Mockingbird Scout and Jem lose their mom. Scout was very young and was not affected by her death, while on the other hand Jem was very sad he is older so knew their mom better than scout. On page 7 Lee writes " Our mother died when I was two,so I never felt her absence...I did not miss her, but I think Jem did."

# data[].attributes.body
In the story To Kill a Mockingbird, Prejudice is showed in the story a vast amount. On page ,Lee states"Cry about the simple hell people give other people -without even thinking, Cry about the hell white people give colored folks," This quote shows how Dolphus Raymond is predicting what Dill wont do in the future.

# data[].attributes.body
This article relates to the plot because it explains how compassion works and how different situations can change your mind into making you more compassionate without even realizing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Everyone then moved on to the "taste perception" phase. Here, participants prepared taste samples for one another, and the real participants were assigned to prepare the taste sample for Dan. The sample they had to prepare required them to pour extra-hot hot sauce into a small cup. They were led to believe that whatever they poured into the cup would be placed in Dan's mouth in its entirety. What did they do? They did exactly what you would expect: those who saw Dan cheat poured more hot sauce into the cup - three times more, on average - than did those who did not witness the cheating. In so doing, they were intentionally acting to cause him pain.

But what of compassion? In a third variation, we had Dan cheat, but before preparing the taste samples, the other confederate, Hannah, began to sniffle and tear up. When the experimenter asked her what was wrong, she said that she had recently learned that her brother had received a diagnosis of a terminal disease. With increasing tears she asked to be excused and the experimenter complied. The participants and Dan then continued as before, though with quite different results: participants who saw Dan cheat poured no more hot sauce than did those who did not witness his cheating.

Before preparing the taste samples, we also had the participants fill out a questionnaire about their present feelings (among other items). The degree of compassion they were feeling directly predicted the amount of decreased hot sauce they poured for Dan.

It seems, then, that the Dalai Lama is right: the experience of compassion toward a single individual does shape our actions toward others.

In another study, published in the journal Emotion, the psychologist Piercarlo Valdesolo and I conducted an experiment ostensibly about music perception - but that actually investigated how feelings of compassion might be increased.

Our hunch was that compassion is easiest to feel when you have a sense of commonality with someone else. So we paired up participants in teams: one real participant and one confederate. First, they had to tap their hands on sensors to tones played over earphones. In some cases the tones led them to tap their hands in synchrony; in other cases, the tones led them to tap their hands in a random mismatching manner.

WE next had the participants watch their tapping partner get cheated by another confederate, which resulted in the partner's erroneously being assigned to complete a stack of onerous word problems. As our participants were leaving, they were informed by an automated message that if they desired, they could help complete some of the work assigned to their partners. If they did so, we timed how long they spent working on the task.

The results were striking: the simple act of tapping one's hands in synchrony with another caused our participants to report feeling more similar to their partners and to have greater compassion for their plight: it increased the number of people who helped their partner by 31 percent and increased the average time spent helping from one minute to more than seven.

What these results suggest is that the compassion we feel for others is not solely a function of what befalls them: if our minds draw an association between a victim and ourselves - even a relatively trivial one - the compassion we feel for his or her suffering is amplified greatly.

What does this mean for cultivating compassion in society? It means that effortful adherence to religious or philosophical dictums (often requiring meditation, prayer or moral education), though clearly valuable and capable of producing results, is not the only way to go. There is nothing special about tapping in synchrony; any such commonality will do. Increased compassion for one's neighbor, for instance, can come from something as easy as encouraging yourself to think of him as (say) a fan of the same local restaurant instead of as a member of a different ethnicity.

Simply learning to mentally recategorize one another in terms of commonalities would generate greater empathy among all of us - and foster social harmony in a fairly effortless way.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
journal of experimental social psychology

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Everyone then moved on to the "taste perception" phase. Here, participants prepared taste samples for one another, and the real participants were assigned to prepare the taste sample for Dan. The sample they had to prepare required them to pour extra-hot hot sauce into a small cup.

# data[].attributes.body
This article relates to the plot because it helps you understand how empathy and compassion are diverse and how Scout can seem more empathetic towards Jem than compassionate at some points.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view, and imagine yourself in their place. Essentially, it is putting yourself in someone else's position and feeling what they are feeling.

Empathy means that when you see another person suffering, such as after they've lost a loved one, you are able to instantly envision yourself going through that same experience and feel what they are going through.

While people can be well-attuned to their own feelings and emotions, getting into someone else's head can be a bit more difficult. The ability to feel empathy allows people to "walk a mile in another's shoes," so to speak. It permits people to understand the emotions that others are feeling.

Press Play for Advice on Empathy

Follow Now : Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts

Signs of Empathy

For many, seeing another person in pain and responding with indifference or even outright hostility seems utterly incomprehensible. But the fact that some people do respond in such a way clearly demonstrates that empathy is not necessarily a universal response to the suffering of others.

If you are wondering whether you are an empathetic person, here are some signs that show that you have this tendency:

You are good at really listening to what others have to say.

People often tell you about their problems.

You are good at picking up on how other people are feeling.

You often think about how other people feel.

Other people come to you for advice.

You often feel overwhelmed by tragic events.

You try to help others who are suffering.

You are good at telling when people aren't being honest.

You sometimes feel drained or overwhelmed in social situations.

You care deeply about other people.

You find it difficult to set boundaries in your relationships.

Types of Empathy

There are several types of empathy that a person may experience. The three types of empathy are:

Affective empathy involves the ability to understand another person's emotions and respond appropriately. Such emotional understanding may lead to someone feeling concerned for another person's well-being, or it may lead to feelings of personal distress.

Somatic empathy involves having a physical reaction in response to what someone else is experiencing. People sometimes physically experience what another person is feeling. When you see someone else feeling embarrassed, for example, you might start to blush or have an upset stomach.

Cognitive empathy involves being able to understand another person's mental state and what they might be thinking in response to the situation. This is related to what psychologists refer to as the theory of mind or thinking about what other people are thinking.

Empathy vs. Sympathy vs. Compassion

Uses for Empathy

Being able to experience empathy has many beneficial uses.

Empathy allows you to build social connections with others. By understanding what people are thinking and feeling, you are able to respond appropriately in social situations. Research has shown that having social connections is important for both physical and psychological well-being.

Empathizing with others helps you learn to regulate your own emotions. Emotional regulation is important in that it allows you to manage what you are feeling, even in times of great stress, without becoming overwhelmed.

Empathy promotes helping behaviors. Not only are you more likely to engage in helpful behaviors when you feel empathy for other people, but other people are also more likely to help you when they experience empathy.

Potential Pitfalls of Empathy

Having a great deal of empathy makes you concerned for the well-being and happiness of others. It also means, however, that you can sometimes get overwhelmed, burned out, or even overstimulated from always thinking about other people's emotions. This can lead to empathy fatigue.

Empathy fatigue refers to the exhaustion you might feel both emotionally and physically after repeatedly being exposed to stressful or traumatic events. You might also feel numb or powerless, isolate yourself, and have a lack of energy.

Empathy fatigue is a concern in certain situations, such as when acting as a caregiver. Studies also show that if healthcare workers can't balance their feelings of empathy (affective empathy, in particular), it can result in compassion fatigue as well.

Other research has linked higher levels of empathy with a tendency toward emotional negativity, potentially increasing your risk of empathic distress. It can even affect your judgment, causing you to go against your morals based on the empathy you feel for someone else.

Impact of Empathy

Your ability to experience empathy can impact your relationships. Studies involving siblings have found that when empathy is high, siblings have less conflict and more warmth toward each other. In romantic relationships, having empathy increases your ability to extend forgiveness.

Not everyone experiences empathy in every situation. Some people may be more naturally empathetic in general, but people also tend to feel more empathetic toward some people and less so toward others. Some of the factors that play a role in this tendency include:

How you perceive the other person

How you attribute the other individual's behaviors

What you blame for the other person's predicament

Your past experiences and expectations

At the most basic level, there appear to be two main factors that contribute to the ability to experience empathy: genetics and socialization. Essentially, it boils down to the age-old relative contributions of nature and nurture.

Parents pass down genes that contribute to overall personality, including the propensity toward sympathy, empathy, and compassion. On the other hand, people are also socialized by their parents, peers, communities, and society. How people treat others, as well as how they feel about others, is often a reflection of the beliefs and values that were instilled at a very young age.

Barriers to Empathy

Some people lack empathy and, therefore, aren't able to understand what another person may be experiencing or feeling. This can result in behaviors that seem uncaring or sometimes even hurtful. For instance, people with low affective empathy have higher rates of cyberbullying.

A lack of empathy is also one of the defining characteristics of narcissistic personality disorder. Though, it is unclear whether this is due to a person with this disorder having no empathy at all or having more of a dysfunctional response to others.

A few reasons why people sometimes lack empathy include cognitive biases, dehumanization, and victim-blaming.

Cognitive Biases

Sometimes the way people perceive the world around them is influenced by cognitive biases. For example, people often attribute other people's failures to internal characteristics, while blaming their own shortcomings on external factors.

These biases can make it difficult to see all the factors that contribute to a situation. They also make it less likely that people will be able to see a situation from the perspective of another.

Dehumanization

Many also fall victim to the trap of thinking that people who are different from them don't feel and behave the same as they do. This is particularly common in cases when other people are physically distant.

For example, when they watch reports of a disaster or conflict in a foreign land, people might be less likely to feel empathy if they think that those who are suffering are fundamentally different from themselves.

Victim Blaming

Sometimes, when another person has suffered a terrible experience, people make the mistake of blaming the victim for their circumstances. This is the reason that victims of crimes are often asked what they might have done differently to prevent the crime.

This tendency stems from the need to believe that the world is a fair and just place. It is the desire to believe that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get-and it can fool you into thinking that such terrible things could never happen to you.

Causes of Empathy

Human beings are certainly capable of selfish, even cruel, behavior. A quick scan of the news quickly reveals numerous unkind, selfish, and heinous actions. The question, then, is why don't we all engage in such self-serving behavior all the time? What is it that causes us to feel another's pain and respond with kindness?

The term empathy was first introduced in 1909 by psychologist Edward B. Titchener as a translation of the German term einfühlung (meaning "feeling into"). Several different theories have been proposed to explain empathy.

Neuroscientific Explanations

Studies have shown that specific areas of the brain play a role in how empathy is experienced. More recent approaches focus on the cognitive and neurological processes that lie behind empathy. Researchers have found that different regions of the brain play an important role in empathy, including the anterior cingulate cortex and the anterior insula.

Functional MRI research also indicates that an area of the brain known as the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) plays a critical role in the experience of empathy. Studies have found that people who have damage to this area of the brain often have difficulty recognizing emotions conveyed through facial expressions.

Emotional Explanations

Some of the earliest explorations into the topic of empathy centered on how feeling what others feel allows people to have a variety of emotional experiences. The philosopher Adam Smith suggested that it allows us to experience things that we might never otherwise be able to fully feel.

This can involve feeling empathy for both real people and imaginary characters. Experiencing empathy for fictional characters, for example, allows people to have a range of emotional experiences that might otherwise be impossible.

Prosocial Explanations

Sociologist Herbert Spencer proposed that empathy served an adaptive function and aided in the survival of the species. Empathy leads to helping behavior, which benefits social relationships. Humans are naturally social creatures. Things that aid in our relationships with other people benefit us as well.

When people experience empathy, they are more likely to engage in prosocial behaviors that benefit other people. Things such as altruism and heroism are also connected to feeling empathy for others.

Tips for Practicing Empathy

Fortunately, empathy is a skill that you can learn and strengthen. If you would like to build your empathy skills, there are a few things that you can do:

Work on listening to people without interrupting

Pay attention to body language and other types of nonverbal communication

Try to understand people, even when you don't agree with them

Ask people questions to learn more about them and their lives

Imagine yourself in another person's shoes

Strengthen your connection with others to learn more about how they feel

Seek to identify biases you may have and how they affect your empathy for others

Look for ways in which you are similar to others versus focusing on differences

Be willing to be vulnerable, opening up about how you feel

Engage in new experiences, giving you better insight into how others in that situation may feel

Get involved in organizations that push for social change

A Word From Verywell

While empathy might be lacking in some, most people are able to empathize with others in a variety of situations. This ability to see things from another person's perspective and empathize with another's emotions plays an important role in our social lives. Empathy allows us to understand others and, quite often, compels us to take action to relieve another person's suffering.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Empathy allows us to understand and share the feelings of others. Learn why we feel empathy in some situations and not others, different types of empathy, and more.

# data[].attributes.body
This article relates to this novel because it defines prejudice and describes what situations it’s used for. Some of the situations seeming related to situations in the book when Scout, Calipurnia, Walter, etc. get assumed because of stereotypical prejudices.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Prejudice is an unjustified or incorrect attitude (usually negative) toward an individual based solely on the individual's membership in a social group.

For example, a person may hold prejudiced views towards a certain race or gender, etc. (e.g. sexist).

Discrimination is the behavior or actions, usually negative, towards an individual or group of people, especially on the basis of sex/race/social class, etc.

Differences Between Prejudice and Discrimination

A prejudiced person may not act on their attitude. Therefore, someone can be prejudiced towards a certain group but not discriminate against them.

Also, prejudice includes all three components of an attitude (affective, behavioral, and cognitive), whereas discrimination just involves behavior.

There are four main explanations for prejudice and discrimination:

1. Authoritarian Personality

2. Realistic Conflict Theory - Robbers Cave

3. Stereotyping

4. Social Identity Theory

Conformity could also be used as an explanation of prejudice if you get stuck writing a psychology essay (see below).

Examples of Discrimination

Conformity as an Explanation of Prejudice and Discrimination

Influences that cause individuals to be racist or sexist, for example, may come from peers, parents, and group members. Conforming to social norms means people adopt the "normal" set of behavior(s) associated with a particular group or society.

Social norms - behavior considered appropriate within a social group - are one possible influence on prejudice and discrimination.

People may have prejudiced beliefs and feelings and act in a prejudiced way because they are conforming to what is regarded as normal in the social groups to which they belong:

The effect of Social Norms on Prejudice

Minard (1952) investigated how social norms influence prejudice and discrimination. The behavior of black and white miners in a town in the southern United States was observed, both above and below ground.

Below ground, where the social norm was friendly behavior towards work colleagues, 80 of the white miners were friendly towards the black miners. Above ground, where the social norm was prejudiced behavior by whites to blacks, this dropped to 20.

The white miners were conforming to different norms above and below ground. Whether or not prejudice is shown depends on the social context within which behavior takes place.

Pettigrew (1959) also investigated the role of conformity in prejudice. He investigated the idea that people who tended to be more conformist would also be more prejudiced and found this to be true of white South African students.

Similarly, he accounted for the higher levels of prejudice against black people in the southern United States than in the north in terms of the greater social acceptability of this kind of prejudice in the south.

Rogers and Frantz (1962) found that immigrants to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) became more prejudiced the longer they had been in the country. They gradually conformed more to the prevailing cultural norm of prejudice against the black population.

Evaluation: Conformity to social norms, then, may offer an explanation for prejudice in some cases. At the same time, norms change over time, so this can only go some way toward explaining prejudice.

References

Minard, R. D. (1952). Race relationships in the Pocahontas coal field. Journal of Social Issues, 8(1), 29-44."> Race relationships in the Pocahontas coal field. Journal of Social Issues, 8(1), 29-44.

Pettigrew, T. F. (1959). Regional differences in anti-Negro prejudice. Journal of abnormal psychology, 59(1), 28.

Rogers, C. A., & Frantz, C. (1962). Racial themes in Southern Rhodesia: the attitudes and behavior of the white population (p. 338). New Haven: Yale University Press.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Prejudice and Discrimination in Psychology

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Prejudice is an unjustified or incorrect attitude (usually negative) toward an individual based solely on the individual's membership in a social group. For example, a person may hold prejudiced views towards a certain race or gender, etc. (e.g. sexist).

# data[].attributes.body
This article relates to “To Kill a Mockingbird” because it mentions different ways how people deal with loss, just like Scout and Jem. While Scout and Jem both had the same mom, Jem knew their mom longer and more therefore making her death more impactful for him.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"In our hearts, we all know that death is a part of life. In fact, death gives meaning to our existence because it reminds us how precious life is." - Author unknown, from Mental Health America (MHA). More proof of what early theologians proffered: We are a soul that lives in a body. Indeed one's brain understands the passing of life to death, but our emotions swell and cause our hearts to pound in echoing macabre in indignation of loss.

Bereavement after death

Death simply serves as a punitive reminder of one's own mortality that we will one day perish along with those who have left us behind. Despite its inevitability, rarely are we adequately equipped to deal with the pain and emotional turmoil that follows an actual, a symbolic or an intangible psychological loss. (Other kinds of events can be equated with the loss of a loved one like the loss of a person's sense of safety after he or she experiences a traumatic event.)

When we are " deprived by something or someone we valued," which is typically the case when someone we love passes away, what follows is a distinct period of grieving, sadness and emotional distress that is called bereavement. Our coping mechanisms, cultural norms, support system as well as the circumstances of the death and our relationship with the deceased person may all play a role in how we react to a significant loss.

Normal grief reactions

Bereavement and other types of losses (e.g., loss of health, identity, finances, etc.) can lead to intense periods of sadness, rumination about the loss and other problems that can be difficult to deal with. Grieving, or the outward physical, emotional and psychological expression of loss, can cause us immense emotional and physical suffering when someone or something we love is taken away from us.

"Grief can deplete you to such an extent that the slightest tasks become monumental, and what previously was easily achievable now may seem insurmountable," wrote Therese Rando, Ph.D. Although sadness is often one of the intense emotional reactions that take over in our immediate response to losing someone we love, it is certainly not the only way that grief can manifest itself. Although everyone reacts to loss in different ways, we rarely are prepared to deal with the pain and emotional turmoil that result after we lose someone or something that is intrinsically valuable to us.

Grief is more than just sadness

Grief can manifest itself in the form of immense emotional and physical suffering, and we may experience anything from anger to denial, to guilt, to sadness and despair. Initially, people who experience grief may experience confusion, shock, and disbelief that their loved one has passed. However, after the initial shock has passed, highly distressful emotions can contribute to anxiety, extreme fatigue, crying fits, dreams and even nightmares about the deceased.

Grief manifests itself in a number of ways, not only sadness. Depending on the circumstances, even anger and rage may overcome us. We might find ourselves talking to or even cursing at the dead people we loved or "hated." We might think, "How could you do this to me?" "Why did you leave me?" "Why were you so thoughtless?" "Why did you take the risks you did?" or "Why didn't you go to the doctor?" Sometimes, it is easier to be mad than sad, since sadness, grief, and depression are psychological and even physiological states of powerlessness and vulnerability.

Anticipatory vs. traumatic grief

One day, we might wake up, and a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal illness, or we might discover that one of our loved ones only has a short time left to live. Anticipatory grief does not always occur when a death is expected, but it is a type of grief that happens before the person actually dies. Anticipatory grief helps to prepare us emotionally to deal with the loss that is to come. It gives us the opportunity to make amends, forgive and say "I love you" before it's too late. Even though many people wonder how it can help to prepare us for the eventual loss of our loved one, it can lead to depressive symptoms in people who are susceptible to depression.

On the other hand, traumatic grief may be experienced in certain circumstances, depending on the traumatic nature of our loved one's death. Traumatic grief is more likely to be experienced when we are faced with a sudden, violent and/or unexpected loss of a loved one. The experience of trauma and grief at the same time can turn our world upside-down.

It can be extremely painful to experience traumatic grief, as we may find that sentiments and triggers can easily remind us of our loved one. Especially when our loved one's loss was sudden, we may find that thinking and remembering our loved one fuels painful memories and flashbacks that can make us re-experience our loved one's death.

The experience of trauma and grief at the same time can obscure the resolution of our bereavement. As many of us try to hold onto our memories of the person or even tangible objects that are intrinsically valuable to us in fear that we might forget someone who meant so much to us, the normal remembering of the deceased can even end up complicating matters and even causing us more harm.

Dealing with loss

It was Bowlby (1969) who originally made his name by studying newborns and infants of parents who died in the Battle of Britain during World War II. These infants "failed to thrive" and later died despite receiving intensive nursing and medical care. Based on his work with infants, Bowlby recognized the importance of attachments with others and believed that the bereavement process is our natural response to broken attachment bonds.

Part of the reason that our experience of grief is so painful is because we must learn how to let go of our attachments following a significant loss. Attachments or bonds that we form with significant people in our lives continue to exist even in the absence of that person. In our protest of separation from our bond with our loved one, we may have anxiety and difficulty comprehending the loss, an experience known as numbing, which can lead to feelings of shock, denial or disbelief, especially when the death occurs unexpectedly.

Grief pangs: Yearning, disorganization, and despair

We may have "debilitating recurrent pangs of painful emotions, with intense yearning, longing and searching for the deceased, and preoccupation with thoughts of the loved one," said Mary-Frances O'Connor and her colleagues.

Grief pangs, short temporary periods of very intense distress and yearning for the deceased, can spin us into an existential, emotional, relative emptiness. Despite being highly distressful, grief pangs serve the purpose of recovering and reuniting with the person who has left us. When we realize that we will not be able to recover the one we love, we go through a period of disorganization, and despair, during which we attempt to find ways to cope with our irreparable loss.

Along with our significant loss, we may also feel as if we have lost a part of ourselves, and, in some ways, we did. Both tangible and intangible psychological losses, such as losing our sense of safety after something traumatic happens to us or changes to our identity, can be highly distressful. Eventually, we must learn how to reorganize our sense of self and rediscover our unique place in the world without our loved one.

Unresolved, complicated grief

Grief after someone we love dies can be overwhelming and even traumatic. Even though many people are able to successfully cope with and adapt to a loss, individuals who have lingering pathological or traumatic grief may need to seek professional services to overcome their emotional pain.

"Excessive and irrational grief" caused by mourning a loss was described by Freud (1917) as melancholy or depression. Whether the loss was actual or symbolic, he believed that unresolved feelings of guilt and other negative emotions stemming from the loss of someone we held dear could subsequently be directed inward toward oneself, which he called introjection.

Bowlby (1980) later suggested that the neurophysiological processes that produce changes in our affect, behavior, and cognition can be prolonged or amplified in the face of complicated or unresolved grief. The symptoms that arise during complicated grief reactions can be so severe that they may even resemble those experienced with major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD).

Persistent complex bereavement disorder

Although the sadness and other emotions that stem from the loss of someone we loved may never completely go away, grief and sadness that remain severe, overwhelming and lingering may mean that we are stuck in mourning, a characteristic of complicated grief, and it can start to affect our functioning in daily life.

Grief during bereavement may itself induce such great emotional and psychological suffering that it can impact how a person functions in his or her life. For this reason, "persistent complex bereavement disorder" has been proposed as a condition that may warrant clinical attention in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

Recovering from bereavement

Although dealing with grief is a normal part of loss and bereavement, we can experience and cope with loss in different ways. Loss can bring us closer to people who are still in our lives and provide us with a unique opportunity to find out more about ourselves.

Eventually, the physical aching and pain subside after the death of a loved one. Our cherished memories of our loved one, and if they are family, our genetic inheritance and all of the implications therein, can sometimes stay with us for the rest of our lives.

"Confronting death need not result in despair that strips away all purpose in life. On the contrary, it can be an awakening experience to a fuller life," said Irvin D. Yalom in his book, "Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"In our hearts, we all know that death is a part of life. In fact, death gives meaning to our existence because it reminds us how precious life is." - Author unknown, from Mental Health America (MHA). More proof of what early theologians proffered: We are a soul that lives in a body.

# data[].attributes.body
This article relates to this book because of Scout. Usually Scout’s perspective on things were unethical and were insulting. This article talks about why we should teach kids how to have ethical perspectives.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Seeing and understanding the world from someone else's point of view is an important life skill. Learn why perspective taking is important and ways you can help children develop this essential skill.

April 19, 2016 - Author: ,

Understanding how someone else sees the world is an important life skill.

Each individual experiences the world from their own unique perspective. Two or 200 people can experience the same event and have completely different experiences. Why is it important we understand someone else's point of view?

We do not live in isolation and each person has to engage and work with others in order to be successful or get anything done. In order to work effectively with people, it's incredibly important that we are able to engage in perspective taking. We need to understand how someone else sees the world to be able to work together, communicate and show empathy and understanding. It's an expectation as an adult that you will listen to and respect the opinions and experiences of other people. It's a crucial skill for all relationships, friendships and professional and romantic relationships.

Perspective taking

In her book, "Mind in the Making: The seven essential life skills every child needs," author Ellen Galinsky describes perspective taking as involving several distinct skills, including:

Determining how someone else feels. In order to do this, we have to use our knowledge and understanding of someone while also ignoring our own opinions, thoughts or feelings and trying to figure out how the other person must be feeling or thinking.

Inhibitory control. In order to think about the world from someone else's understanding, we have to put our own thoughts on hold. When we use inhibitory control to engage in perspective taking, we are pausing our own desires to think of someone else.

Cognitive flexibility. In order to switch up our perspective, we have to look outside the box of our normal thinking. This requires cognitive flexibility in helping us change the focus of our attention from ourselves to someone else.

Perspective taking is really a social-emotional-intellectual skill, in that it requires hard work from our brains and also utilizes empathy and understanding.

Supporting the development of perspective taking

Michigan State University Extension has some tips on helping your child learn and practice perspective taking.

Walk the walk. Practicing what you preach can be harder than it seems, but practicing perspective taking with your child is good for you and them. It is easier to be fair and just if we take the time to see how a situation looks from someone else's point of view. Young children learn by watching you, so when you show them the value of perspective taking, they will engage in it too.

Talk about feelings. Anger, sadness and loneliness aren't bad words. Talk about all feelings with your child and teach them that all feelings are valid. Try repeating your child's words to you, describing what you see them doing, asking questions and letting them know you are there to talk if they want.

Acknowledge and respect feelings. Children will be better able to understand others' perspectives when they grow up knowing their thoughts, feelings and experiences were understood and respected. Engage with your child and reflect their feelings back to them, let them know you notice them and are there to help them.

Show them the other side. When you see a stranger stop to help someone on the street, talk to your child about what each person might be feeling or thinking. Help them build connections between people's actions and their motivations. It's also important to help children understand how their behaviors affect other people. If your child throws a toy and it hits another child, help your child build that cause-and-effect connection by talking about how their actions impact other people or their environment.

Train your little detective. Just like real-life detectives search for clues to solve a crime, people who are skilled at perspective taking look for clues to understand other people. Help your child develop these sleuthing skills by encouraging them to observe and evaluate other people's actions or behaviors.

Encourage community. Children learn to value and respect others through the building of community. Encourage your child not only to engage with others, but to work together, collaborate, problem solve and truly value their relationships with others. This mutual respect and sense of kinship will encourage your child to think about other people's points of view.

Create a loving and warm environment. When children are loved, respected and feel safe, they have the capacity and motivation to learn how to understand and respect the perspectives of others.

By teaching your child perspective taking skills, you are giving them all the tools they need to build healthy, happy and successful relationships throughout their lives.

For more articles on child development, academic success, parenting and life skill development, please visit the Michigan State University Extension website.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Tags: early childhood development, family, life skills, msu extension, social and emotional development

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The importance of perspective taking for young children

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Seeing and understanding the world from someone else's point of view is an important life skill. Learn why perspective taking is important and ways you can help children develop this essential skill. April 19, 2016 - Author: , Each individual experiences the world from their own unique perspective.