Empathy refers to a person’s ability to imagine or feel the emotional experiences of another person. Research suggests that empathy is an important element of emotional and social development because it influences an individual’s behaviour towards others as well as the quality of the social relationships that a person develops (Gibbs 46). Antipathy encompasses the involuntary or voluntary dislike of a person or something. A nasty experience may induce antipathy in a person, but sometimes, it may occur in a manner that cannot be explained rationally in terms of cause and effect. Discipline is a practice that focuses on obeying rules, codes of conduct or behaviour, and the use of punishment as a means of correcting disobedience. Discipline is widely associated with concepts such as restraint and self-control. The level of antipathy or empathy in a child is directly related to the likelihood that they will commit a crime during their adulthood.
Empathy refers to the ability to understand another person from their perspective. Ideally, it involves placing yourself in the shoes of others and sharing their feelings or experiences. In most cases, empathy plays an important role in communities because it promotes pro-social behaviours (Gibbs 67). Nurture plays a critical role in influencing the capacity of empathy and morality.
Antipathy has been subject to different psychological explanations. The ability to react properly to social cues shapes the way children interact with people around them. The effect of abuse on moral development remains an important area of study. Past studies suggest that subjecting a child to abusive reactions and behaviours has a negative effect on the child’s moral development and contributes to antipathy (Gibbs 89). The brain development and social learning contributes significantly to social and moral development. Crimes are social in nature; therefore, it helps children to grasp social concepts as they grow up.
Discipline is an important factor in the development of a child or a person. The way children are disciplined shapes their understanding of right and wrong and their future behaviour. If children are not disciplined in the correct way, they may end up being immoral. Unfortunately, much of what parents and teachers do in the name of disciplining children yield more negative effects than the positive results.
The Hawaiian culture socializes people to become empathetic rather than individualistic. Currently, Hawaii is bustling with different ethnicities, cultures, and races (Andrea et al. 2). It can serve as a model community that teaches the entire American society how people of diverse cultural and racial backgrounds should live together. The people of Hawaii are welcoming, friendly, and they embrace people from different cultural backgrounds. There are many mixed-race people in Hawaii and most of them have a strong sense of community. Their strong connections to traditions and cultures also shape their social behaviours (Andrea et al. 2). Before the arrival of missionaries, Hawaii was an unequal society, especially in terms of gender relations. The social status of women was highly restricted. However, the introduction of western laws and culture has helped in improving the status of women among Hawaiians.
Emotional development is important in a person’s development because emotions often influence or dictate the behaviours of people. The development of empathy during one’s childhood plays a critical role in helping them become empathetic adults. Antipathy is characterized by feelings of dislike while some people develop the feelings of hatred towards other peoples. While antipathy leads to antisocial behaviour, empathy increases pro-social behaviour.
Work Cited
Andrea, Michael & Daniels, Judy. Forgotten "Native Americans": A Study of the Psychological Development of Hawaiian Children. University of Michigan. June 1993. Web. 20 July 2016.
Gibbs, John. Moral Development and Reality: Beyond the Theories of Kohlberg, Hoffman, and Haidt .New York; Prentice Hall, 2013. Print.
