filter icon   The Filtering Traits   filter icon


Oct 25, 2016
The Empathy Filter
The
Empathy
Filter

         check to the right icon
Select the section
that interests you.
Main Page   ← You are here
Author's Note
Preface
Introduction
The Big Picture
Multiple Filters in Play
Issues
Moving Forward


Offered by David Apollo

Author's Note
"When looking for the Truth be careful whose eyes you are seeing it through." - David Apollo

The Empathy Personality Spectrum Filter is likely among the most misunderstood Filters that we possess. What exactly is "Empathy" in the first place? Actually, our general understanding of that is varied and broad. Which is to say that often, while people may discuss empathy with each other, they actually are discussing different things and may not even be aware of it. How ironic is that?

arrows behind picture
For the purposes of this chapter, ConserveLiberty defines "Empathy" as the ability to understand what another is thinking and perceiving from that other's own perspective.

Note how this is different from a more common understanding of Empathy. Generally, many consider empathy as "understanding what another is thinking and feeling as if we were in that person's situation."

Not only is that substantially different from ConserveLiberty's definition, it is also much easier to imagine. It is also extraordinarily likely to give an incorrect understanding of another's thinking and perspective.

The "Other" is not coming from "your perspective if you were in their situation." They are coming from their perspective, completely independant of your perspective. Why? Because we are all built differently, organically. We all have our own slightly (or not so slightly) different perspectives and instincts and habituations and indoctrinations. Thus, in actuality, we cannot truly comprehend the precise thoughts and perspectives of another. We might be able to get close, and for some closer than others. But even then, to get close, a dialog must take place. The type of dialog that few are willing to have, able to have, or even believe it necessary to have.

→ The Author's Note was last updated 17 Oct 2016 18:00 PST ←

Preface
multiple filters picture
We start each Personality Spectrum Filter discussion by reminding the reader what ConserveLiberty means by a Personality Filter. Click there.

Now that the declaration that "our personality filters have an organic, genetic basis" is out of the way ... it is also important to keep in mind that since authors are endowed with their own foundational filters, these posts are always written from an unavoidable perspective and expression personality bias.

Finally, we continue to remind that ...
The biological and genetic basis underlying human personality is expected to be quite complex, with many component parts. By no means should it be construed or implied that the Empathy Personality Spectrum Filter is the result of a single gene. Rather, an ensemble of biological parts are necessary to be expressed and put together just right so that a person's individual place on the Empathy Personality Spectrum Filter is determined.
→ The Preface was last updated 07 Oct 2016 12:00 PST ←

Introduction
What objectives are achieved when one attempts to understand something empathetically, meaning, from the perspective of "The Other?"

Remember, ConserveLiberty intentionally uses "empathy" defined as:
the ability to understand what another is thinking and perceiving from that other's own perspective.
yinyang hands picture
Understanding something from the perspective you would have if you were in anothers circumstances is NOT considered "empathy." Additionally, empathy is not "compassion" and empathy is not "sympathy". It may be true that understanding someone else's circumstances empathetically could lead to compassion and/or sympathy. However, it could also lead to rejection or even violence.

If one is attempting to understand something empathetically, why? What is the purpose of the effort?

Certainly, an empathic perspective can help one to understand more of the Truth of a Situation. The Truth of a Situation often requires an understanding of why it is happening the way that it is happening. Someone's perspective of a situation may not be accurate, and may even be significantly in error. However, it is also true that to understand why a situation is unfolding the way it is unfolding then one will need to understand how the others involved are actually perceiving the situation, whether or not their perceptions are actually accurate.

An empathetic perspective can also help us communicate what we are intending to communicate to others if the filters that we are endowed with are sufficiently compatible with one another. Quite often, we are misunderstood not because we misspeak what we are thinking, but rather because the person listening is coming from a different perspective than we are. They may be anticipating that we are meaning to communicate something different than we intend to. This situation is in play most of the time. If we can anticipate empathetically more accurately where another's perspective is, we may have an option to state our point differently, or offer an initial "set up" to what we are about to say so that what is perceived and received by The Other is closer to what we intended.

Thus, empathy is strived for in order to make communication more accurate, better understood, and in the end resulting in agreement if agreement is being sought, or teaching if learning is being sought, or affinity building if understanding of similar views is being sought. It is also important when it is necessary to understand whether or not identified disagreements can ever be resolved. That is a determination best based based NOT on hope, but rather a on a true understanding of another's perspective.

How does the Empathy Filter impact our reception and perception of the truly Real. All That Is is only and always Real.".

Is a strong Empathy Filter required to enable a more successful embrace of The Truth, and thus fuller experience of Harmony between our lives and the environment around us?

→ The Introduction above was last updated 24 Oct 2016 16:40 PST ←

The Big Picture
Thoreau empathy quote picture
Empathy - the ability to understand what another is thinking and perceiving from that other's own perspective - is nearly impossible to actually achieve. Why? Because we are all built with differently adjusted ensembles of Filters. Since the filters influencing our instinctive mechanisms for perceiving and responding to our environment are set up differently for each of us, each of us will not perceive the world we interact with in exactly the same way. And thus we will respond to it differently as well.

Empathy may be an objective, and each of us may be able to temporarily adjust our perceptions and responses to more closely match another's, but we will not match each other identically. We may even try to help one another along by sharing and attempting to make sense of our filtering for another to understand. However, usually the aim of that is often to bring "The Other" more closely into our own perspective. Which defeats the objective of achieving an empathetically driven perspective similar to the other's.

Thus, achieving true empathy is often defeated by "intention"... were it not also defeated due to congenital biological differences.



While the Empathy Personality Spectrum Filter cannot bring one fully into empathy with another, those with stronger Empathy Spectrum Filters can get closer to empathy than those with weaker empathy filters.

Unfortunately, while many are able to engage others fairly closely empathetically, others are so sure that they are understanding a situation from another's perspective (primarily because they are so strongly committed to intending to do so) that they often dismiss clear evidence to the contrary. Another way of describing this same situation is that others have indoctrinated themselves into believing that they are credibly empathetic in various situations, and thus dismiss information that contradicts their self-generated narrative. Their narrative may suggest that because they are empathetic they are thus both open minded and caring. While the narrative itself may be constructed with relationships that are not necessarily causitive, and certainly not validated, it is embraced as if it were both truthful and relevant. And, the "math" of Indoctrination is such that in many cases Truth is dismissed. Ironically, neither Empathy nor Harmony is being reached.

What additional assets or approaches might one sufficiently endowed use to get closer empathetically?

→ The Big Picture section above was last updated 24 Oct 2016 17:20 PST ←

Multiple Filters in Play
empathy brains picture
As a reminder, like all the other Filters discussed (i.e. the instincts, behavioral preferences, default ways of interpreting our environment and the way we interact with it, etc.), the Empathy Personality Spectrum Filter, is not at all likely to be understood as a trait solely via the expression of one gene. Rather, multiple genes, in concert with multiple other filters are likely necessary to understand completely the Empathy Personality Spectrum Filter. It is the result of an ensemble of components - their presence and their expressions. Including the environment itself.

Among those other Filters and components are: Among the approaches
  • The ability to step back from one's perception of reality as Real, and regard what each of us perceives as the result of Environment Interpretation Instruments or Devices.
  • The ability to engage with another's perception of their environment as True, even though our own instinctively operating Filters lead us to conclude that the other's alternate perception is False.
  • An ability to surpress our own Embrace of Indoctrinated Preferences Personality Spectrum Filter, such that alternate perceptions aren't dismissed, and can be engaged with as if they are believed.
  • Others to be listed in subsequent updates.

→ The Section above was last updated 18 Oct 2016 14:50 PST ←

Issues
Six or Nine picture
The Empathy Filter can be a very helpful and very important Filter for those who place a high value on understanding the Truth of a thing.

Understanding the Truth of a Situation may often require engagement with other perspectives.

The empathetic understanding of something does not imply that the alternate perception of a situation is actually Appropriate or True, or that one's original perspective is Inappropriate or False. It simply means that the alternate perspectives and responses are understood, and that their generation is understood.

Be careful. Understand your limitations. Be skeptical of your understanding of what is going on. And if you actually have a strong Empathy Filter, use it.

→ The Section above was last updated 24 Oct 2016 17:30 PST ←

Moving Forward
It turns out that many of the most important leaders within human societies have had strong Empathy Personality Spectrum Filters.

The perception by others that one relates naturally with their perspective engenders a level of comfort and trust, leading to friendship, leadership, and economically dependant relationships.

While these empathetically derived relationships can be misused or corrupted, they also open doors for those with common objectives to be able to depend cooperatively with each other for mutual benefit. A strong Empathy Personality Spectrum Filter is especially valuable to those seeking to market their perspectives, services, or products. And it is indespensable for those Leaders with an intention to Indoctrinate, regardless of purpose.

You will have encountered examples of this hundreds of times during your own lifetime.

Watch for Bull. Judge skeptically. Validate. Conserve Liberty.

→ The Section above was last updated 24 Oct 2016 17:30 PST ←



Back to the Table of Contents





freedom to be pic Consider thoughtfully.





filter icon   Check out other Filter posts   filter icon






filters/20161007_filter_empathy.php