Empathy can
assist the analysis of
situational influences

Over the last several weeks, I have discussed the importance of taking situational influences into account when thinking about human behavior. Most often, individuals observe the behavior of others and make judgments about their personalities. People who don't talk to others at social gatherings are introverted. People who tell others what to do in the workplace are power-hungry. People who don't contribute to charitable campaigns at work are cheap. But often, people's behavior is influenced by situational forces that are invisible to observers. Thinking about situational factors is time-consuming and difficult, but it leads to more accurate assessments of why people behave as they do.

In the three examples, people who don't talk to others at parties might not know anyone in attendance. If they were at social gatherings where they knew lots of attendees, they might be very talkative and animated. People who tell others what to do might be concerned about an impending deadline that, if not met, could mean lost business for a company. Individuals who do not contribute to charitable campaigns might have recently incurred financial obligations such as medical bills for an aging parent. Even though they have altruistic personalities and always try to help others, they could be so cash-strapped that they cannot contribute for several years.

Why are situational factors so rarely taken into account when we think about the behavior of other people? One reason is that we often do not know the situational pressures faced by others. And even if we wanted to know, questions posed to others about these factors might violate privacy norms. In a workplace, for instance, some people are willing to talk about their financial obligations to parents, and some people are not. In contrast to their lack of knowledge about others, people do know the situational pressures that they face. In their own lives, people know about who is likely to be at the social gathering, what the deadline is for a proposal and how much they can contribute to charities.

Another reason for inattention to situational forces is that people's socialization often places emphasis on context-free concepts such as the honesty, integrity, consistency of the self and personal responsibility. This is captured in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" when Polonius gives fatherly advice just before his son, Laertes, is to travel abroad: "This above all, to thine own self be true." Polonius did not tell his son to take into account situational factors when giving his rather vague and unhelpful advice about being true to the self.

Perhaps directors who take on the task of staging "Hamlet" recognize this unhelpfulness. Often, Polonius is presented as a windbag giving fatuous musings to a son who is clearly eager to escape a boring monologue.

Individuals can take advantage of the fact that they know about their own situational pressures when they are tempted to make judgments about the behavior of others. They can make their observations and then ask, In what sorts of situations would I act that way? What would make me be quiet at a party, act in a bossy manner or come across as tight with my money? Answers to such questions helps individuals develop empathy, and this is an important contributor to their success in workplaces that attract the talents of people who have had very different life experiences.