2000-10-19Z2011-03-11T08:54:25Zhttp://cogprints.org/id/eprint/1042This item is in the repository with the URL: http://cogprints.org/id/eprint/10422000-10-19ZEmpathy: Its ultimate and proximate basesThe empathy literature is characterized by debate regarding the nature of the phenomenon. We propose a unified theory of empathy, divided into ultimate and proximate levels, grounded in the emotional link between individuals. On an ultimate level, emotional linkage supports group alarm, vicariousness of emotions, mother-infant responsiveness, and the modeling of competitors and predators; these exist across species and greatly effect reproductive success. Proximately, emotional linkage arises from a direct mapping of another's behavioral state onto a subject's behavioral representations, which activate responses in the subject. This ultimate and proximate account parsimoniously explains different phylogenetic and ontogenetic levels of empathy.Stephanie D. PrestonFrans B. M. de Waal