Summary Of The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog: Sympathy

mpathy is being aware of others emotions and feelings(Hutchinson, 2013,p792). It is as if we feel what they are themselves experiencing. In the story of The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog, Perry displayed empathy towards the boys situation. He did this in numerous ways. First, Perry was sensitive to the child, as well as, he paid attention to the boy's nonverbal communication. This is very important due to the trauma the boy went through. He did not make eye contact with him, as this might have caused the boy to feel threatened. Then, Perry decided to take away some of the distractions the boy was facing. This was done by closing the curtains on his cage so he could only see Perry and the nurse's station. This allowed the boy to focus on Perry.

So, he wanted to help him feel more comfortable and not feel as threatened. This lead to him removing his coat, tie, and not making any sudden movements(Perry, Szalavitz). Due to the fact that Perry had a good understanding of what it meant to be empathetic, he was able to gain the trust of his client. In the video, it points out that once we learn life is precious, then we ascribe that value to other people's life(Rifkin). Therefore, becoming empathetic to another's plight. This is evident in the way Perry approaches the boy's situation. Overall, he was compassionate and caring towards him. In addition, the video on empathy introduces the concept of mirror neurons. The concept states," when we observe another person's actions, our neurons light up as if we have experienced the action ourself(Rifkin)." For example, when Perry ate a piece of muffin, he then offered it to the boy. He did this to get the boy's neurons to mimic his behavior. In doing so, he was able to get the boy to eat, whereas he previously threw his food