Compassion Vs Empathy In Conflict Resolution

The conceptual proliferation (PRAPAÑCA), as described above, refers to the tendency to superimpose the perspective of ego throughout all of one’s sensory experience via the medium of concept (Buswell and Lopez, 2013). PRAPAÑCA develops when the mind is already infused with conceptual thoughts (VIKALPA) that can be proliferated. Conceptual thoughts (VIKALPA) operate through the medium of generic images (SA), i.e., mental images or qualities that are generic to a class of phenomena, as opposed to those specific qualities that are unique to a given object. Closely related to VIKALPA is a mental factor of thinking or applied thought (VITARKA), which refers to a mental factor of an initial engagement of or inquiry into an object that is not sufficient for a full-blown VIKALPA (Tenzin Gyatso, 2020). Both conceptual thoughts (VIKALPA) and conceptual constructions (KALPAN) are often contrasted against the direct perception (PRATYAKA), especially yogic direct perception (YOGIPRATYAKA), in which reality is perceived directly without the medium of mental images (Buswell and Lopez, 2013). Conflicts are inevitable in a society whose members have diverse interests and ideologies.

Leaders should ensure that all voices are heard and considered when addressing issues. As I said in my last blog, curiosity is a superpower when dealing with conflict. So is compassion—and, in many ways, it is a precursor to curiosity (and to calm and creativity). All to say I am not sure I am the best teacher for how to develop compassion.

Practical Strategies For Fostering Compassion

• This mindset is also captured in psychological concepts as the objectification of others.
• The Vikings and Romans had a flourishing slave trade, as did the Chinese who used them to build their walls, and the Egyptians who used them to build pyramids.
• Looked at this way, it is not power hierarchies that is the issue, it is how power is used in the pursuit of resources and who and what is made into a resource (Lee-Choi and Bargh, 2001).

Doing so would mean coming to terms with evolved strategies that have been battling it out in our minds and groups and genes for millions of years. Unregulated capitalistic models that seek to create free markets are utilizing strategies for resource competition where the strongest or most able gain access to resources and can also put in place strategies for the inhibition of competitors (and subordinates). This has seen elites throughout history exerting extraordinarily callous and cruel regimes of oppression against the poor and still do (Perry et al., 2013; Black, 2016; Murray and Frijters, 2017; Sidanius et al., 2017). We are only going to do that if we create the cultures, including the childcare and education and resource distribution strategies accordingly. If we look at humanity as a whole, there are billions of brains in the world right now who could become wonderful doctors, scientists, composers and world changers who will never know they had such latent talents.

Leading with compassionate unity in conflict is not only beneficial but necessary for effective leadership in today’s diverse environments. When leaders approach conflicts with empathy, inclusivity, and a commitment to shared goals, they set the stage for collaborative problem-solving and stronger relationships within their teams. By implementing these strategies—acknowledging emotions, fostering inclusivity, reframing conflicts as joint problems, encouraging empathy, facilitating collaborative sessions, modeling vulnerability, and following up—leaders can transform conflicts into opportunities for growth and unity.

It may not instantly solve every problem but it will change how problems are faced—and quite often that makes all the difference. Active listening means fully concentrating on what the other person is saying without interrupting or mentally preparing your rebuttal. Show you are engaged through nods, affirmations like “I see,” and summarizing their points to confirm understanding. Compassionate communication signals respect and care, nurturing trust between parties.

We hereby describe how this brain model can explain the post-conflict bifurcation between maintaining the attunement and exacerbating ego-preserving bias. As described in the section above, when excessive free energy resulting from conflicts activates the Conflict-Alarming component, the underlying SN plays a key role in the regulation of what behavior will follow afterward. When the SN down-regulates the DMN and up-regulates FPN/VAN, the person can inhibit the previous Relational Models and potentially engage more productively with the ongoing demands from the environments. In other words, in the latter case, the individual will exacerbate the ego-preserving bias, which manifests as the inability to update one’s prior models or beliefs in the presence of salient prediction errors during the conflicts with others.

Why The Repatriation Of Extremist-linked Individuals Must Be Rethought

Begin by establishing a safe space where both parties feel comfortable expressing themselves. This may involve choosing an appropriate time and location free from distractions. Ensure that both sides agree on ground rules for respectful communication.

This is called alloparenting which is defined by parental functions (care, protection, provision of food, comfort play) as provided by those other than parents (Hrdy, 2009). Indeed, it is possible for children to seek out others in preference to their own parents if the parent relationship is not such a good one. Alloparenting is not unique to humans, but it was during our hunter gatherer https://medium.com/@asiavibe/a-review-of-the-3-innovative-features-promoting-beneficial-communication-on-asiavibe-in-2023-8122a203bf53 stage that it became a highly adapted, even essential trait (Narvaez, 2017).

With these insights and concepts on compassion we can see how compassion is profoundly important to so many aspects of our lives; texturing epigenetic profiles, multiple physiological systems and psychological values plus how we relate to each other. Consider the passions of people engaged in charity work all over the world, building wells for freshwater, making medicines available to the poor, or in international peace efforts trying to end the conflict and release perhaps millions of people from the intense suffering of the conflict. Consider a recent movement of “compassion in politics” which seeks to stop politicians passing laws that are known to cause suffering to the least able to cope (see below). Note too that some people can be very impassioned for some domains of caring and compassion but not all; motives can be specific. And some people can be very good in some aspects of compassion but not others.

Shame and stigma are the underside of competing for attractiveness (Gilbert, 1998, 2007). Status competition is also linked to the suppression of competitors which is the function of shaming and denigrating (a major problem in social media). When our minds are organized by the competitive mentality, the drive for fame and the fear of shame textures our minds, leaving us more disconnected than ever. Buss and Dedden (1990) refer to this process as the derogation of competitors and highlighted the fact that shaming and stigmatizing focus on different attributes in men and women.

Some believe our ‘gullibility’ is one of the most serious challenges to democracy. To offer just two examples, some of President Trump’s supporters genuinely believed that the election had been stolen; others genuinely believe that the COVID-19 vaccine is either not needed or potentially dangerous. Part of the problem is the degree to which individuals identify with a social group, pick up the beliefs and concerns of that social group and reinforce them through sharing messages, for example on social media.

When many primate groups meet, they can engage in war like behavior and injure each other (Bonobos are different, Tan et al., 2017). We can be vicious to out-group members regardless of whether they are showing signs of submission or not (Staub, 2003; Zimbardo, 2008). In centuries past, the vanquished were executed sometimes brutally or sold into slavery; they become an enemy to be removed or a resource to be used. As noted below, competitive behavior has that disposition to turn any other lifeforms including humans into resources to be used and exploited. There is however, a rather a big hitch to the evolution of caring and sharing.