What does Empatico mean by empathy?

Empathy encompasses three distinct domains: the emotional (feeling what others feel), the cognitive (understanding what others think and feel), and the behavioral (acting on those feelings and understandings). Within the three domains, empathy research highlights three levels of application or interaction—the intrapersonal (the self, i.e., an empathetic relationship with oneself), the interpersonal (individual others, i.e., an individual’s relationship with other individuals), and the intergroup (collective others, i.e., an individual’s relationship with collectives or groups of people who are different from one’s own group).

Empatico’s Empathy Framework is rooted in research literature from the fields of education, several areas of psychology, sociology, conflict resolution, and communication. The Empathy Framework promotes students’ healthy growth and the development of empathy in three areas: emotions, thoughts, and actions. Through framework-aligned activities and virtual exchange experiences, students can practice empathy towards themselves, towards others, and towards groups that are different from their own. Empatico partnered with Knology, a social science think tank, to develop the framework.