Northern Arizona University-Yuma

[Editor’s note: Today’s post is the third in a series by Dr. Sherri Nevada McCarthy on the topic of perspective-taking].

Children sitting on floor at story time — Photo by Dave Parker; licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. From Wikimedia Commons

Many conflict resolution programs used in schools are built around enhancing children’s ability for perspective-taking. Harvard Graduate School of Education Assistant Professor Hunter Gehlbach notes that perspective taking plays an important role in classroom experiences. Teachers are encouraged to provide activities to help students develop these skills.

Gelbach suggests asking open-ended questions and presenting multiple viewpoints in class. Ask students for multiple right answers. Help them to develop a disposition that says, “Okay, I know what my point of view is, but is this how other people are thinking?”

“I don’t think social perspective taking is something which is currently rewarded in schools,” reflects Gehlbach. “It’s not punished, but it is kind of ignored.”

Social perspective taking depends on the context in which someone is trying to take another person’s perspective. According to Gehlbach, very little is known about how perspective taking happens and how effective different strategies are. “One strategy that people often use,” he explains, “is to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. But this could be a really bad strategy. If I’m very different from you and I project my background and my personal history into your situation, there’s a pretty good chance I would think something different from you.”

Perhaps you can remember some of the ways that you learned perspective-taking–either inside a classroom or outside. Please comment and share those experiences.

Sherri McCarthy, Professor of Psychology at Northern Arizona University-Yuma

[Note from Kathie Malley-Morrison: Today we welcome the first of several contributions by Sherri Nevada McCarthy, a member of the Engaging Peace board of directors. Dr. McCarthy is a professor of psychology at Northern Arizona University-Yuma, and has published widely in the area of international psychology. She is co-editor with me of two upcoming volumes to be published by Springer Publishing: International Handbook of Governmental Aggression and International Handbook of Peace.]

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, asserts that all of humanity is entitled to a social and international order in which all safely co-exist, free from torture, slavery, threat or discrimination.

Still, more than 60 years later, many on our planet live in fear of genocide, invasion and other threats. Discrimination persists. Despite good intentions, rights are sometimes taken away by the very people who claim to be upholding them.

Why is this, and what can each of us do to help prevent it?

Psychologists have identified several mechanisms that may help to shed some light on these questions. Albert Bandura’s mechanisms of moral disengagement, previously discussed on this blog, are one example. Another is the concept of “perspective-taking.”

Perspective-taking has been widely researched over the years by both developmental and social psychologists. Developmental psychologist Robert Selman identified stages of perspective-taking that develop as children mature, and many tests of children’s cognitive and social competence used today incorporate these stages. (In future posts, we will explore Selman’s work in more detail.)

Perspective-taking, or the ability to see things from another’s point of view, is essential for social competence. Without this ability, people would remain unable to relate to the needs, interests or rights of others. Reasoning would also be impaired—especially about ideas such as justice and fairness.

It is worth noting that knowledge of another’s perspective does not guarantee that we will ensure human rights. This knowledge could instead be used to manipulate or harm. Still, being able to discern and understand the points of view of others is an important skill in peaceful conflict resolution. Finding ways to make sure this ability develops, whether in the schools or through other means, is an important first step toward engaging peace.

Sherri Nevada McCarthy, Ph.D.