Using our life experiences to develop our empathy

1. Using our life experiences to develop our empathy

2. The only way we can begin to feel another’s experience is by drawing upon our own.Dr David Sheard

3. So what do we think dignity is… To me Dignity is…

4. ‘Dignity’ ‘I think other people have an enormous influence over our dignity, it isn’t something we are born with, if we are lucky we are helped to acquire it in our first years of life. We need to have dignity in our youth but we don’t always get many opportunities to develop it. Adults develop dignity by their position in life and their own self-esteem. I’m not sure that we always recognise the range and complexity of ‘dignity’ and how the smallest things can damage it. We need to begin by understanding what dignity means to us. Only then can we hope to get an insight into other people’s perceptions of dignity. NPJ July 2011

5. DignityWell, I find looking into my personal life experience of dignity is a bit like peeling an onion - and we all know what happens when we peel onions! In groups identify 2 ‘minor’ and 2 major incidents that would undermine a person’s dignity . What may happen if minor incidents are routinely overlooked?

6. Thinking more about Dignity …. • ‘Dignity’ is a word we use in two major ways. • Dignity is a quality of the way we treat others as human beings. • Dignity is quality of a person’s ‘inner self’. • Personal dignity + positive self image = self-esteem/self-respect • We have to nurture people’s • expectations of being treated with dignity, and • image - appearing dignified ADAPTED from HASCAS: Dignity through Action