How do we generate more altruistic behaviour in the digital society? Stephen Post describes altruism as selfless joy for the well-being of others, which is linked to the deeds - of care and service - required to that end. Through unlimited love, this attitude applies to all beings, permanently and without exception. We often hear about the importance of empathy in social relations, whether online or offline. Empathy is an essential ingredient for altruism. One of the most important thinkers on altruism is the psychologist Daniel Batson, who devoted his life's work to studying it. Batson writes about altruistic motivation: for selfless behaviour, one needs motivation. He bases this motivation on the notion of empathic care.
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Indeed, to sense the other person's need, one needs empathy. The Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard defines empathy as the ability to empathise with other people's feelings and become aware of their situation (Ricard, 2014, p.38-39). He goes on to note that empathy bridges the gap between altruistic love and compassion, it causes the former to transform into the latter. Empathy makes us feel and the feelings that come to us motivate the altruistic act. It allows one to better assess the nature and intensity of other beings' suffering.
However, empathy involves more than this first definition provided by Ricard. In fact, there are different forms of empathy. He elaborates on this, and even devotes a whole chapter to it in his book on altruism, as empathy is a core aspect of altruism. Empathy can be a motivator for altruism, but it can also lead to looking away from the suffering that one perceives and not helping at all. Empathy can arise from a cognitive and affective dimension: one can feel what the other person feels or one can put oneself cognitively in the other person's place. The affective dimension is spontaneous: we recognise the feeling and begin to resonate with it. The cognitive dimension arises by consciously evoking the feeling. The question is then: is it sufficient to feel what others feel to show altruism towards them? The answer is no: one can use affective empathy to be more aware of what the other person needs, but it is not sufficient, or even necessary, for altruism. Sometimes it can even limit us in caring for others. Ricard gives the example of a frightened person on a plane: if we allow ourselves to be taken over by that fear, we will be less able to reassure that person.
Hence, not all forms of empathy are equally beneficial for us and the people around us. Daniel Batson defined eight different aspects of empathy, and they have diverse roles in our lives. Allow me to give an overview of these eight forms in which empathy occurs. Afterwards, I will reflect on how they relate to our online experiences in the digital age.
1.    Knowledge of the other person's inner state.
Knowledge of how the other person feels can lead one to be concerned, but is insufficient as one can remain indifferent to what happens to the other person.
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2.    Motor and neural imitation
Motor and neuronal imitation is a process of imitation through observation of bodily behaviour, and may contribute to the generation of empathic feelings, but is not sufficient to explain those feelings. We imitate some actions of others if they are in line with ourselves, but are not inclined to imitate someone when they are, for example, eating a dish we do not like.
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3.    Emotional resonance
Emotional resonance allows us to feel what the other person is feeling. This can be joy at seeing happy people, or sadness at seeing someone overwhelmed by intense grief. By feeling the other person's emotions, we risk being less able to help them. If one becomes anxious oneself in the presence of a terrified person, this fear can keep us from paying attention to the other person.
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4.    Intuitively projecting oneself into the other person's situation
To empathise intuitively with another person's situation, for example, is to empathise intensely with a tightrope walker at a tremendous height. But in this, there is a risk of mistaking our representation of how the other person feels. Maybe the tightrope walker isn’t at all afraid of heights, but we feel it. Nor is it necessary to sense all the details of someone's situation to care about their fate; it is enough to realise whether someone is suffering or not.
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5.    Picturing the other person's feelings as clearly as possible
We can cognitively try to imagine as clearly as possible what the other person is feeling, based on what they say, what we perceive, and how well we know that person and their values and desires. However, this is not enough for altruistic behaviour. A person with evil intentions can use knowledge of your inner experience to manipulate or harm you.
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6.    Imagining how we would feel if we were in the other person's shoes
We can also imagine what we would feel if we were in a situation similar to that of another person, coloured by our character, desires, and worldview. This form of empathy involves being able to imagine that someone else finds joy in a particular genre of music, even if it doesn't appeal to us personally. However, this form is again focused on ourselves to understand the other, but it is not enough for altruistic behaviour.
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7.    Empathic suffering
Empathic suffering is what we experience when we witness the suffering of others and try to picture this in our minds. This form of empathy can lead to avoidance of the suffering of others, instead of taking action, because we want to flee these negative emotions. Physically or mentally escaping the situation is not particularly helpful to the other person. It would be better to let the facts sink in and take action to alleviate their suffering.
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8.    Empathic care
Empathic care involves consciously caring about the other person's needs and feeling a genuine desire to come to their aid. This is, according to Batson and Ricard, the only form of empathy which is fully focused on the other and not ourselves. This empathic response is necessary for altruistic motivation. It allows one to adopt the attitude that truly comforts the other person in a difficult situation and to take the action that will most alleviate their suffering.
So how do these forms of empathy relate to how we interact via digital media and increase altruistic behaviour online? The first six forms of empathy, according to Batson, can contribute to awakening an altruistic motivation but are not a guarantee for it. Especially online it becomes even more difficult and limiting. We hardy gain knowledge about other people’s inner states, our motor and neural imitation is mostly blocked because of not being physically present, and emotional resonance becomes largely impossible. Intuitively projecting oneself in another’s situation is possible if it is described or seen online, but as stated above it risks misinterpretation. Further, picturing another’s feelings as clearly as possible isn’t necessary or sufficient for altruistic behaviour. Imagining how we would feel if we were in the other person's shoes remains coloured by our worldview and the information we soak up like a sponge online.
Empathic suffering doesn’t help either, of course. We’d rather avoid seeing people suffering online, leading to ignore-ance, rather than face it to help them.
Empathic care seems the way to go for inducing altruistic motivation and subsequently helpful behaviour. It is fully focused on the other, but does empathic care hold the same power in online environments? Can we be fully focused on the other while only seeing a small part of who they truly are, a fraction of their true self online? I think we can adopt this attitude that truly comforts the other person when seeing they’re in a difficult situation, but online it requires all of us to take off our metaphorical masks and show how we truly feel, dare to be vulnerable and reach out to each other. Afterwards, taking action to help the other person may be more suited in an offline context where we are fully present.
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DISCLAIMER: This blog post is written without generative AI technologies.
References (in order of appearance)
Post, S.G., 2003. Unlimited love. Templeton Foundation Press.
Batson, C. D., 2011. Altruism in humans. New York: Oxford University Press.
Ricard, M., 2014. Plaidoyer pour l'altruisme: la force de la bienveillance. Paris: NiL éditions.
Ricard, M., 2015. Altruïsme. De kracht van compassie.. Utrecht: Uitgeverij Ten Have.