Psychology. We thank attendees for their valuable comments and insights. Address

In this chapter we review research on empathy in terms of its benefits and costs. Scholars have a difficult time agreeing on a definition of empathy. Some think of empathy as emerging from more cognitive mechanisms (emphasizing perspective taking and related theory of mind) which involves imagining another’s point of view or internal experience (Borke, 1971; Deutsch & Madle, 2009), while other scholars think of it as a more affective process (Batson, 1990; Bryant, 1982; Panksepp, 1998; Watt, 2007) with relatively ancient roots in the mammalian kingdom. This affective process includes emotion-matching with others, which is typically described as ‘contagion ’ or affective resonance (Feshbach & Roe, 1968; Watt, 2007). It also includes concern for others ’ suffering and a desire to reduce suffering that does not necessarily involve isomorphism with the other’s feelings, often called ‘empathic concern ’ (Batson, Ahmad, & Stocks, 2004; Davis, 1983). Some have posited that affective resonance naturally implies empathic concern, which is an important point to address in future research (Watt, 2007). Still other theorists see the emotional and cognitive aspects of empathy as more overlapping than separate (Hoffman, 1984). Finally, another relevant distinction is between ‘dispositional ’ or ‘trait ’ empathy (Bryant, 1982; Davis, 1983) versus ‘situational ’ or induced empathy (Batson