School Bullying Prevention: Teach Empathy at Young Age

Since the January 14th death of Phoebe Prince, the 15-year-old in South Hadley, Massachusetts, who committed suicide after being bullied by fellow students, many onlookers have meditated on whether the circumstances that led to her death could have been avoided. Neuroscientists, psychologists, and educators believe that bullying and other kinds of violence can be reduced by encouraging empathy at an early age. Over the past decade, being able to empathize has suggested that it is key to human social interaction and morality. Without empathy, we would have no trust and no reason to not commit murder, cheat, steal, or lie. Nearly 90% of brain growth takes place in the first five years of life, and the minds of children who are neglected often are unable to make the connection between people and pleasure. It can be difficult for them to feel or demonstrate love later on. “You can enhance empathy by the way you treat children,” says Martin Hoffman, a professor of psychology at New York University.

I think this is a great idea to teach children how to empathize. The more they are exposed to it, the better they will be able to stand in someone's shoes and see what it's like. If more and more people are empathetic, perhaps there will be less people who are bullied. Phoebe Prince's tragic death certainly shows us how much bullying can affect someone.