Empathy's translations
three paths from einfühlung into Anglo-american psychology
pp. 287-315
in: Vanessa Lux, Sigrid Weigel (eds), Empathy, Berlin, Springer, 2017Abstract
The term "empathy" appeared as a translation of the German Einfühlung in Anglophone psychology in the first decade of the twentieth century. Contrary to popular understanding, Edward B. Titchener was not the only one to introduce the term. James Ward also offered the translation, and J. Mark Baldwin suggested "semblance" as a better translation for Einfühlung than empathy. These divergent translations demonstrate the polysemic character of the term: Ward saw empathy as a means to personify nature and objects in line with his panpsychism; Baldwin viewed semblance as part of play activity; and Titchener defined empathy as a kinaesthetic mental image projected into an object. Lanzoni explores these multiple translations of Einfühlung and reflects on their significance for contemporary notions of empathy in social neuroscience.