Teens 45% less empathetic than a generation ago study shows/what is going on??

[Anonymous]

I heard this research being discussed on NPR Tues. afternoon and ,though it didn't completely surprise me, I was struck by that high figure. Any thoughts on this ? Given the importance of a nurturing 1:1 relationship in infancy any thoughts on this sharp decrease in empathy being related to high numbers of kids being put in day care at 6 weeks to 3 mos of age as compared to 40 years ago? ( they tested 18 year olds college freshman). Also, 40 years ago the most frequently selected goal of a 19 year old college student was," to find a meaningful life philosophy" todays group selected," make a lot of money" most often. Disturbing,no?

[Anonymous]

Disturbing, but not surprising. Look around you. Pathetic, no?

[Anonymous]

Day care? Really? That gave me a chuckle. Day care has nothing to do with it.

A certain degree of empathy is inherent, but the rest is taught. I think it's more likely that you've got helicopter parents focusing their energy 100% on their kids, and the child grows up thinking s/he's the center of the universe.

[Anonymous]

I just finished reading "Hold On To Your Kids". It was recommended on here by someone else. I definitely recommend it, if you're interested in this. The first half is slow moving, but as a whole, the book makes some interesting points.

I send my DD to daycare, so I'm not anti-daycare, but to the PP, it's possible that daycare does have something to do with it. Good quality daycares can be okay, but the problem is that now, kids are thrown together with other kids, earlier than they should be. So, they are getting their cues and learning behavior from other kids (rather than from adults).

[Anonymous]

PP again. I want to add that the author argues that things like daycare ratios can make a huge difference. As well as good teachers. But, the huge classroom sizes, both in schools and daycares, make it so that a child's peers can have more influence on the child than the teacher.

[Anonymous]

IMO, a child's primary teachers are going to be the parents. Period. What happens in day care might have some temporary impact on a child's empathy, but to say that it is immutable for the rest of their lives is illogical. It's the overall way a parent actually parents (or fails to) that is going to make a difference.

[Anonymous]

Well, it isn't a sign of something amiss if we blame daycare and not ourselves, as parents and society? It is so much easier to do so, I know. The thing is, we have become the most narcissitic society since ancient Rome.

[Anonymous]

OP, look around you. Read the threads on this board. Look how people treat each other. Watch the rudeness on the roads, in the malls, etc. Those adults are raising those children who were talked about in the NPR piece.

Then turn on the news and you seen the violence and cruelty humans are capable of, as a general matter.

The conclusion in that piece is not surprising.

It is very sad.

[Anonymous]

It's hard to teach empathy digitally. This generation is way too plugged in.

[Anonymous]

The first thing that occurred to me was that this generation of 18 yo young adults were reared on computers, video games, texting ... there's less one-on-one playing and play outside. There's not even talking on the phone!

[Anonymous]

I think 2010 is a lot different than 1970. We are just coming out of a recession - money is a big factor for people who are seeing the haves and have-nots diverge so drastically. Especially college freshman. Think about how much harder it is to get into college these days. You have to be pretty competitive to get in many places, whereas in 1960, according to some, if you had money, it wasn't too hard to get in. I wonder how this group would compare to those in college just 20 years ago. I think 1970 and 2010 are just very different times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I think 1970 and 2010 are just very different times.

Yes, that's 2 generations apart. Can you imagine the 1970s being compared to 1930? Such utterly different times. Between those four decades we got man on the moon. Now we have internet, cellphones ... what else?

We also rear the kids differently. When I was a child in the late 70s/early 80s, there were latchkey kids at age 6. Now, that is probably considered illegal. When I was 9-10, I could ride my bike to the park 1 mile away alone and play. When i was 10, I could bike about 4 miles away to my friend's house - alone. I don't feel the same level of comfort letting my child do that when she reaches those milestone ages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The first thing that occurred to me was that this generation of 18 yo young adults were reared on computers, video games, texting ... there's less one-on-one playing and play outside. There's not even talking on the phone!

Agree with this. And large group care from an early age does not necessarily lend itself to the kind of extended pretend play that allows someone to understand someone else's perspective. Sounds like we need Tools of the Mind everywhere.

I think that the kind of hectic lifestyles and long commutes in this area leave very little time for parenting or observing how your kids act in different situations. The quality of caregivers is often lacking as well. Parents, when they are with their kids often don't want to rock the boat by correcting their kids. There is also a lot less involvement from extended family, kids are being shaped in large part by the values of their peers.

[Anonymous]

First off the peak in empathy in college students was in the 90s, and as a part of that generation I know a lot of my classmates were in daycare. Additionally the authors suggest that shrinking family size may be a factor (quote from research paper below):

"Thus, one possible explanation for the decline of is positional empathy over time might be that children are less likely to learn important empathy-related skills in early home environments. Siblings can help children learn everyday empathy skills through intensive daily practice with managing conflicts and sharing"

To me this would argue that daycare should actually help since conflict management and sharing are big skills learned there.

The authors run through a whole range of things that could be to blame (many of which would be ripe for a flame war but I won't go there), but the honest truth is they have no idea.

[Anonymous]

This must be for leading industrialized nations with lots of people from different cultures. I think you have more empathy when you have very little and rely a lot on the generosity and cooperation of others. That and when you are one of ten or fifteen children and have to share and have real responsibilities like looking after and help provide for your younger siblings from an early age. Also maybe they are being raised to be more open about who they are (i.e., teenagers have always been completely self-centered but are more likely to admit it these days). I also think people are suspicious of others with different upbringings, beliefs and traditions. There is usually more unity among homogeneous people than muliti-cultural societies. And the widening economic gap between the have and have nots has contributed to the belief that less opportunities and resources are available.