A page from The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why by Amanda Ripley
I guess it’s not exactly surprising, but it seems to explain a lot of things I’m witnessing in my later adulthood. I’ve always felt deeply impressed by selfless heroes, but I never really pondered the profile of heroism.
There’s some truth here, like poorly-treated children probably have difficulty with empathy, except I’ve known a few people that had very hard childhoods and are some of the kindest people I’ve ever met, as if they developed past those issues to understand how important empathy is.
I also come from a large family, and while my siblings and my cousins had very similar upbringings, the variability in things like empathy and justice is extensive even among siblings (notably including twins).
To me it seems like there’s a strong element of innate character trait with this stuff, as we’ve watched kids grow up and seen their character at 2 years old remain consistent into adulthood. If this stuff were driven mostly by environment, then at least most kids would be similar… And we’ve found they aren’t, it’s all over the map, unpredictable by the environment.
Not to say environment doesn’t/can’t influence, it certainly can, but I don’t believe it’s usually the primary driver, just in cases where the environment is notably negative
Some people when faced with struggle become cold and bitter: “If I got through it without help, so can they.”
Some people do the opposite : “That was a hell I suffered through that I don’t want anyone else to have to experience”
And I have spent my entire life trying to figure out the difference between those two kinds of people and wondering which type I truly am.
There very well could be something innate. Later in the chapter, Ripley writes about heroes who did what they did because they felt they wouldn’t have been able to live with the sense of cowardice for not acting. The fear of future self loathing overpowered their fear of present peril.
As for nurture vs. nature origins of empathy, I’m looking forward to watching Boarding On Insanity.