W poszukiwaniu istoty empatii. Wnioski z przeglądu badań neuronaukowych i ich praktyczne implikacje

The essence of empathy: a review of the neuroscience research and its applications

Empathy, subjected to personal differences, is a key to a functional social life. In recent years neuroscience has contributed to the precise terminology and methodological approach in the research of empathy, mainly due to development of non-invasive brain imaging techniques. The article presents a literature review and aims to determine the areas of neuroscience which help to understand empathy. Attention is drawn to role of the research in determining parts of brain responsible for different types of empathy (cognitive and emotional). The research also shows that there are modulators of emphatic response and hence practical applications of knowledge may be possible in the therapy of maladaptive forms of empathy (e.g. personal distress).