Perspective-taking is the act of viewing a situation or understanding of a concept from an alternate point-of-view.
Contents
Definition
Perspective-taking is the process by which an individual views a situation from another's point-of-view. Perspective-taking can occur visually in that one changes their physical location to see things as someone else does. Perspective-taking can also occur cognitively in that one mentally simulates the point-of-view of another’s cognitive state. For instance, one can visualize the viewpoint of a taller individual (physical state) or reflect upon another's point-of-view on a particular concept (cognitive state). In other words, perspective-taking is the process of temporarily suspending one’s own point-of-view in an attempt to view a situation as someone else might. A number of strategies used for taking another’s perspective have been identified, included imagining oneself in the other’s place, using one’s own similar past experience to understand another’s situation, and utilizing general knowledge (e.g. stereotypes) about how people are likely to react in particular situations. This process does not necessitate any form of affinity, compassion, or emotional identification with the other. Therefore, as an other-oriented activity, perspective-taking can be used to gain an understanding of a given physical state and/or situation after which a determination of appropriate action can be selected (e.g., empathy). Perspective taking ability appears to be greater in adults than children, because adults are more able to correct and adopt the perspective of another person.
Perspective-taking vs. empathy
It is important to understand that perspective-taking is exclusively the process of taking an alternate point-of-view. For example, one can perspective-take a fellow individual’s thoughts and feelings. However, the perspective-taking process does not necessarily lead to feelings of empathy. Rather, that determination may be made after the perspective-taking process has concluded. To demonstrate this point, Davis cites 18th century Scottish philosopher Adam Smith and 19th century British anthropologist and sociologist Herbert Spencer. Both Smith and Spencer wrote about perspective-taking as a "cognitive, intellectual reaction" and empathy as a "visceral, emotional reaction" (p. 113). Because this differentiation is commonly overlooked, perspective-taking is frequently conflated with empathy. For this reason, the use of perspective-taking and empathy as synonyms is decidedly prevalent within the scientific literature
Push for term specificity
As research has explicated the perspective-taking and empathic processes, there has been a push to differentiate between these activities. For instance, Farrant, Devine, Maybery, and Fletcher set forth a definition of empathy that includes the perspective-taking process; however, it is referred to as cognitive empathy. Similarly, Ashton and Fuehrer use the term ‘affective perspective-taking’ to describe the empathy construct. Even though researchers are striving to differentiate between these processes, conflation of these terms remains common in the scientific literature.
Benefits/applications of perspective-taking
The benefits and applications of perspective-taking show themselves in a wide variety of situations. Several studies indicate that perspective-taking has a positive impact on social interactions and relations.