Practicing Empathy in Policing
Watch the following video to test your empathy:
Instructions:
- Watch the Video Above: Watch Brené Brown on Empathy. Pay attention to the way she distinguishes empathy from sympathy and explains how it involves being present with others without judgment.
- Reflect on Empathy in Your Work (5 minutes):
- Reflect on a recent situation where you interacted with someone who was upset, angry, or in distress.
- Write down your initial reaction to the situation. Were you able to empathize, or did you feel disconnected from their emotions?
- Consider how you could have responded more empathetically in that moment. What might have changed if you’d used empathy to connect with the person?
- Empathy in Action (5 minutes):
- Choose an interaction you anticipate having in the next 24 hours (either at work or in your personal life). It could be with a colleague, a community member, or even a friend or family member.
- Before the interaction, mentally prepare by reflecting on the core principles of empathy from Brené’s video:
- Perspective-taking: Try to understand the situation from the other person’s perspective.
- Staying present: Be fully engaged, without distractions (e.g., put down your phone, focus on the conversation).
- Non-judgment: Resist the urge to judge the other person’s feelings or experiences.
- Approach the interaction with a goal to truly listen, understand, and respond with empathy.
- Evaluate Your Empathetic Response (5 minutes):
- After the interaction, take a moment to reflect on how it went. Did practicing empathy change the tone of the conversation or the way you felt during the exchange?
- Write down how the empathetic response influenced your connection with the other person. Did they seem more open? Did the situation feel more collaborative?
- Consider how empathy might improve similar interactions in the future.
Reflection Questions:
- How did practicing empathy change the way you connected with the other person during the interaction?
- What was the impact of empathy on your emotional state and the tone of the conversation?
- How can you apply empathy more consistently in your daily work as a law enforcement officer, especially when dealing with community members in distress or conflict?