Search engine for discovering works of Art, research articles, and books related to Art and Culture
Javascript must be enabled to continue!
Compassion Collapse
View through CrossRef
In the current chapter, I will discuss a phenomenon known as “compassion collapse”: people tend to feel and act less compassionately for multiple suffering victims than for a single suffering victim. This phenomenon contradicts many people’s expectations about how they would and should respond to situations in which the most victims are suffering, as in natural disasters and genocides. Precisely when it seems to be needed the most, compassion is felt the least. In the chapter, I describe studies documenting the effect, and compare two explanations of why compassion collapse occurs: one that focuses on basic capacity limitations on compassion, and another that focuses on motivational factors that lead people to strategically avoid compassion. I close by discussing open questions and future directions for study on this phenomenon.
Title: Compassion Collapse
Description:
In the current chapter, I will discuss a phenomenon known as “compassion collapse”: people tend to feel and act less compassionately for multiple suffering victims than for a single suffering victim.
This phenomenon contradicts many people’s expectations about how they would and should respond to situations in which the most victims are suffering, as in natural disasters and genocides.
Precisely when it seems to be needed the most, compassion is felt the least.
In the chapter, I describe studies documenting the effect, and compare two explanations of why compassion collapse occurs: one that focuses on basic capacity limitations on compassion, and another that focuses on motivational factors that lead people to strategically avoid compassion.
I close by discussing open questions and future directions for study on this phenomenon.
Related Results
The Landscape of Compassion
The Landscape of Compassion
How do we, as scientists, define compassion? Is it an emotional state, a motivation, a dispositional trait, or a cultivated attitude? In this introductory chapter, we set forth a w...
Organizational Compassion
Organizational Compassion
In this chapter, we discuss compassion as experienced and expressed at the organization level of analysis. Shifting to this collective level suggests that the definition of compass...
Compassion in Context
Compassion in Context
Various conceptions of compassion are articulated in diverse Buddhist contemplative traditions. These variations are due in part to the divergent models of mind and reality found w...
Compassion Fatigue Resilience
Compassion Fatigue Resilience
Drawing on more than 48 years of experience working with compassionate people who were suffering, the authors discuss and illustrate the useful applications of the new Compassion F...
Yellow Fever
Yellow Fever
As measured by mass evacuation of cities, yellow fever provoked more fear and panic than any other epidemic disease in US history. This chapter concentrates on two of the most deva...
Solitude, Silence and Loneliness in Adolescence
Solitude, Silence and Loneliness in Adolescence
This book explores adolescents’ (10-18 years) experiences of silence, solitude, loneliness within the school setting.Although many studies explore social withdrawal and loneliness ...
Enhancing Compassion
Enhancing Compassion
Historically, social psychologists are known for demonstrating the power of situations to reduce compassionate impulses and prosocial behavior. The simple presence of other people,...
Compassion-Focused Parenting
Compassion-Focused Parenting
The parenting a child receives has profound long-term impacts on that child’s life. The rates of child maltreatment globally are high. Evidence-based parenting programs have been d...