Part Two: Chapter 7, The Roots of Empathy Summary and Analysis

Empathy is a key part of emotional intelligence. The lack of this skill is evident in psychopaths, rapists and child molesters. Psychologist Robert Rosenthal developed a test for empathy, the Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity (PONS). The test shows a videotape of a woman expressing various feelings. The viewer must read the non-verbal clues of body language and facial expressions and interpret them. Ninety percent or more of an emotional message is communicated non-verbally. Those who score high on the empathy test tended to be more sociable and popular.

Empathy is learned in infancy through 'motor mimicry' or mirroring the emotional behaviors of others. At age two and a half, children can separate their own feelings from the feelings of others. Psychiatrist Daniel Stern identified the process of reinforcing empathy...