Costly encounters of the empathic kind: a typology

Head, N. (2016) Costly encounters of the empathic kind: a typology. International Theory, 8(1), pp. 171-199. (doi: 10.1017/S1752971915000238)

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Abstract

While considerable attention is being accorded to emotions in International Relations, this article seeks to integrate empathy into these interdisciplinary debates. It counters the dominant assumption that empathy tends to be largely benign and beneficial by conceptualizing a typology of the costs of empathy. The dimensions of costs addressed are epistemological, cognitive, emotional, material, and embodied. I argue that these costs are frequently tangible for those who make the ethical-political choice to engage in empathy in situations of conflict and political violence. Drawing on social psychology approaches, empathy is located within a framework of collective narratives, emotions, and social structures shaped by both micro- and macro-political processes. A model of empathy, which acknowledges social influences and the psychological mechanisms through which these influences may be mediated, contributes to a deeper understanding of how politics, psychology, and culture shape empathy and, crucially, helps understand the conditions which may affect the successes, limitations, and failures of empathy in the (international) political sphere. The article offers empirical illustrations of the costs of empathy drawing on examples from Israel and Palestine.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Head, Professor Naomi
Authors: Head, N.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
Journal Name:International Theory
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
ISSN:1752-9719
ISSN (Online):1752-9727

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
645861Prospects for Conflict Transformation? Non-violence and civil society organisations in Israel and PalestineNaomi HeadThe Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland (CARNEGIE)UNSPECIFIEDSPS - POLITICS