Empathy has received much attention in recent years, being touted by some as a cure for what ails our society but considered by others to be a source of trouble. One reason for the very different assessments is that "empathy" has been used to refer to different psychological phenomena. For some scholars and researchers, empathy refers to feeling as another feels. Others think of empathy as feeling for, not feeling as, another. When the other is in need, feeling for him or her has been called "empathic concern."This book provides an evidence-based review of developments in our understanding of empathic concern over the past five decades, clarifying what empathic concern is (and isn't), where it comes from, what its forms are, its motivational consequences, and its importance in interpersonal and intergroup relations. Rather than lauding empathic concern as a panacea or castigating it as a problem, the evidence supports a more nuanced view: Empathic concern has benefits but also liabilities, and its benefits can be realized only if we recognize and address its liabilities. The evidence-based review also points to needed next steps in research on the nature and function of empathic concern-and on its use in interventions to increase sensitive response to the needs of others near and far.

Introduction: The Empathy ControversyPart I: What Empathic Concern Is1. A Definition-and a Measure2. Distinguishing Empathic Concern from Personal Distress3. Distinguishing It from Other Things Called Empathy4. Necessary Conditions for Feeling Empathic Concern5. Empathic Concern's Evolutionary Roots6. Varieties of Empathic ConcernPart II: Why Empathic Concern Is Important7. Motivational Consequences: The Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis8. Behavioral Consequences: Interpersonal Benefits9. Behavioral Consequences: Interpersonal Liabilities10. Behavioral Consequences: Intergroup Benefits11. Behavioral Consequences: Intergroup Liabilities .12. Realizing the Potential of Empathic Concern