Empathy Blockers
What are Empathy Blockers? Empathy blockers are ways of thinking, speaking, or behaving that prevent us from understanding another person’s feelings, needs, concerns, or perspective. In communication and conflict management, they reduce the psychological safety needed for people to listen to one another and work towards resolving disagreement. A useful way to remember them is: Empathy opens communication; empathy blockers close it. Four major empathy blockers Empathy blocker What it looks like Effect on conflict 1. Domination Threatening, ordering, blaming, criticising, name-calling Creates fear, resistance and hostility 2. Manipulation Withholding information, interrogating, using praise or guilt to control someone Creates suspicion and mistrust 3. Disempowerment Dismissing someone's concerns, diagnosing their motives, giving unwanted advice, changing the subject Creates resentment, frustration and withdrawal 4. Denial Refusing to acknowledge a problem, emotion or legitimate conce...