Exploring Empathy Gap: Changing Perspectives on Beliefs and Values

This presentation discusses the differences in viewpoints, beliefs, and values influenced by changing cultures, focusing on a communication experience with a 50-year-old Bangladeshi Muslim woman in Australia. It highlights the initial biases and limited understanding of Bangladeshi people, particularly women, and how interviewing the woman provided insights into her traditions and perspectives. The presentation uses the theory of mind to explain how empathetic communication revealed the depth of her beliefs and thoughts, leading to a shift in perspective and the elimination of biases regarding Muslim women from developing countries like Bangladesh. References to academic sources support the discussion on empathy, cultural understanding, and cognitive biases.

Changing perspectives

Empathy gap
 The aim of this presentation is to discuss the difference in view point,
beliefs and values with changing culture.
 My communication with the Bangladeshi woman of 50 who had a
completely different religious and social-cultural background from those
of mine.
 The empathy gaps between us is completely dependent on the
cognitive bias that manipulate out attitudes, behaviours and
preferences (El-Gohary 2016).

Person of focus
 My Person of focus is a woman of fifty who is a migrant in my country
Australia and purely Muslim in religion.
 Initially I had very limited idea that every Bangladeshi people are quite
undereducated especially the women.
 I used to think that the Muslim woman do not get support from their
household ad follow some orthodox ideologies.
 After interviewing her I gained insight about the traditions and perspectives
that guide her in life.
 My point of view has changed a great deal as I have started to understand
the Muslims of the developing country like Bangladesh are not under
educated, orthodox and aggressive as I used to thought.

Theory of mind
 Empathetic communication that I had with my interviewee revealed the
truth and intensity of her beliefs and thoughts (Wellman 2015).
 Theory of mind is the capability to attribute the mental status such as
beliefs, desires, intentions, knowledge and emotions to oneself as well
as the others.
 This theory is applied to understand that other have their own beliefs,
ideologies, desires and intentions.
 Through this theory is I have understood Wahida’s philosophy and
mental status which helped me to gain knowledge and eliminate biases
regarding the Muslim women of Bangladesh.

References and bibliography
 Ali, F., Amin, M. and Cobanoglu, C., 2016. An integrated model of service experience, emotions,
satisfaction, and price acceptance: an empirical analysis in the Chinese hospitality industry. Journal
of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 25(4), pp.449-475.
 El-Gohary, H., 2016. Halal tourism, is it really Halal?. Tourism Management Perspectives, 19,
pp.124-130.
 Johansson Nolaker, E., Murray, K., Happé, F. and Charlton, R.A., 2018. Cognitive and affective
associations with an ecologically valid test of theory of mind across the lifespan. Neuropsychology.
 Ramadani, V., Dana, L.P., Ratten, V. and Tahiri, S., 2015. The context of Islamic entrepreneurship and
business: Concept, principles and perspectives. International Journal of Business and
Globalisation, 15(3), pp.244-261.
 Thomas, P., 2016. Youth, terrorism and education: Britain’s Prevent programme. International
Journal of Lifelong Education, 35(2), pp.171-187.
 Wellman, H., 2015. Theory of mind. Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences: An
Interdisciplinary, Searchable, and Linkable Resource, pp.1-17.