The Cultural Shaping of Compassion

Abstract

In this chapter, we first review the existing literature on cross-cultural studies on compassion. While cultural similarities exist, we demonstrate cultural differences in the conception, experience, and expression of compassion. Then we present our own work on the cultural shaping of compassion by introducing Affect Valuation Theory (e.g., Tsai, Knutson, & Fung, 2006), our theoretical framework. We show how the desire to avoid feeling negative partly explains cultural differences in conceptualizations and expressions of compassion. Specifically, the more people want to avoid feeling negative, the more they focus on the positive (e.g., comforting memories) than the negative (e.g., the pain of someone’s death) when responding to others’ suffering, and the more they regard responses as helpful that focus on the positive (vs. negative). Finally, we discuss implications of our work for counseling, health care, and public service settings, as well as for interventions that aim to promote compassion.

Artificial intelligence technologies and compassion in healthcare: A systematic scoping review

“…Healthcare research has examined compassion from the perspective of: the predictors of compassion in healthcare professionals ( Fernando and Consedine, 2014 ; Bleiker et al, 2020 ; Pavlova et al, 2022 ); how care environment and organizational culture affect compassion ( Casagrande, 2016 ; Ali and Terry, 2017 ; Dev et al, 2019 ; Tehranineshat et al, 2019 ; Wiljer et al, 2019 ; Ali et al, 2022 ); compassion-maintaining strategies and interventions ( Blomberg et al, 2016 ; Terry et al, 2017 ; Flores and Brown, 2018 ; Baguley et al, 2020 ; Hopkins et al, 2021 ; Malenfant et al, 2022 ); compassionate leadership ( Dewar and Cook, 2014 ; de Zulueta, 2015 ; Lown et al, 2019 ; West et al, 2020 ); and regulation of compassionate caregiving ( Harris et al, 2019 ; Pedersen and Roelsgaard Obling, 2019 ). Culturally and critically informed perspectives of compassion highlight that different societies, professional groups, cultures, and generations hold different expectations and views about compassion ( Koopmann-Holm and Tsai, 2017 ; Sundus et al, 2020 ) which change over time ( Salvador Zaragozá et al, 2021 ). Compassion has been described as a lens for critically considering the cultural and social significance of AI technologies and the different ways that such technologies may serve or disserve the societies that created them ( White and Katsuno, 2019 ) including how technologies affect their users ( Day et al, 2021 ).…”

Compassion practice as an antidote for compassion fatigue in the era of COVID‐19

“…Although studies demonstrate that meditation practices increase compassion, no studies were found that examine whether these findings are maintained across different ethnic and cultural groups. In fact, researchers are finding that some cultural differences exist in the conception, experience, and expression of compassion, which may have implications for how counselors may interpret and integrate the practices into their lives (Koopmann‐Holm & Tsai, 2017).…”

The Lived Experience and Impact of Compassion for Others in Undergraduate Students’ Recovery From Suicidal Ideation

“…Compassion can be conceptualized as a connected triad (Gilbert, 2009b), with compassion being from others, toward others, and/or toward oneself (i.e., self-compassion). Although compassion is shaped to some extent by culture (e.g., individualistic vs. more collectivist cultures; Koopmann-Holm & Tsai, 2017), a number of core elements can be found across cultures. Strauss and colleagues (2016) described compassion as “awareness of someone’s suffering, being moved by it…, and acting or feeling motivated to help” (pp.…”