The ReSource Model of Compassion
The goal of this chapter is to take the perspective of psychology and neuroscience to elucidate the
nature of compassion. More specifically, we aim at identifying the cognitive, motivational and
socio-affective processes that constitute compassion as well as their neuronal bases.
To this end, we first need to define compassion. We distinguish here between two notions of
compassion: a
narrow notion
of compassion as an emotion and motivation and a
broader notion
of
compassion as a way of being, that is, an approach to reality and attitude to life.
Compassion as an Emotion and Motivation
In an earlier work, we adopted common definitions of compassion and defined it as a “deep
awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it”
Other authors
have
defined it similarly as “the feeling that arises in witnessing another’s suffering and that motivates a
subsequent desire to help”. Compassion in this understanding is thus both an emotion (a feeling of
concern) and a motivation (the will to alleviate suffering). It is a fleeting state, rather than an
enduring way of being or attitude to life.
Compassion as a Way of Being or Attitude to Life
The view that compassion is a particular approach to reality or attitude to life rather than a
affective-motivational state is in line with contemplative notions of compassion. As, for example,
Dreyfus
discusses, in Buddhism, compassion is understood as a mental factor, that is, a certain
constitution of the mind, which can be developed or cultivated. This constitution
may
lead to
emotions in response to somebody else’s suffering or joy, but it doesn’t have to. Dreyfus
distinguishes between individuals that are beginners and those that are advanced in the cultivation
of compassion and describes that “only the former seem to exhibit the kind of psychological and
somatic characteristics that we usually associate with emotions”.
“[…] [Beginners] are often described as being overwhelmed by compassion. They can be deeply
moved by compassion and sometimes cry. […] Such an emotion is positive in that it does not
disturb the peace of the mind, but it does arouse the mind. As […] [they] progress, however, their
compassion seems to change. It is less emotional in the usual sense of the word. Such
compassion is described as being equanimous. It is very strong, even stronger than that of […] [the
beginner], but it is more balanced and does not lead to the kind of emotional outburst mentioned
previously.” (p. 43)
In a dialog with the Dalai Lama, Ekman[4] also defends the view that compassion should not be
conceptualized as an emotion, saying that “compassion needs to be cultivated while emotions do
not”, “compassion once cultivated is an enduring feature of the person while emotions come and
go” and that “compassion does not distort our perception of reality, while emotions do” (p. 141).
It is this understanding of compassion – as a mental disposition rather than an emotion – that is
discussed in most contributions of this book (e.g.,
as compounded of
emotional, cognitive, attentional and somatic subprocesses; also see
,
). There are many ways to dissect this broader concept into subcomponents, all of which
have their justification with regard to certain purposes. Our model, which we will present in the
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