DOUBLE TEXT READING INTO WRITING ACTIVITY: FOUR WORDS TO SEEM MORE POLITE AND HOW TO MAKE THE NARCISSIST IN YOUR LIFE A LITTLE NICER

The old saying “Manners maketh man” has always been so true, wining those individuals valuable brownie points in their social relations and on a personal level. Politeness brings people closer together, opens doors and brings out the best in people. This task involves two texts related to this issue and they will share one writing task.

BEFORE YOU READ: TAKE THE TESTS

·         Narcissistic personality quiz: http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/narcissistic.htm

FOUR WORDS TO SEEM MORE POLITE

“Empathy makes you better at cocktail parties – and life”

By: Olga Kahazan

Published: August 16, 2014; The Atlantic; http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/four-words-are-the-key-to-seeming-polite/376113/  

Level of Difficulty: **

BEFORE YOU READ

·         Read Paul Ford’s post titled “How to be Polite” and discuss. Link: https://medium.com/message/how-to-be-polite-9bf1e69e888c

QUESTIONS

1.       Read the reference to Paul Ford’s post. Which of the following may be used to describe him? Select as many as necessary.

·         Considerate

·         Nosey

·         Sympathetic

·         Vociferous

2.       Empathy is described as being absolutely vital for all human relationships because……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

3.       Narcissists are different from empathic people because they are much more likely to overlook mistakes / be self centered / be sharing / be cooperative / be bigheaded. Select as many as necessary.

4.       What is the purpose of advising modern college students to read great literature?

5.       Read the two definitions of politeness. Which one fits in with psychologists’ views on empathy mentioned earlier in the text?

HOW TO MAKE THE NARCISSIST IN YOUR LIFE A LITTLE NICER

“A new study finds that deliberately considering the perspectives of others can help conceited people feel empathy”

By: Olga Khazan

Published: June 3, 2014; The Atlantic; http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/06/how-to-make-the-narcissist-in-your-life-a-little-nicer/372072/  

Level of Difficulty: **

QUESTIONS

1.       Why is it empathy rather than love which makes the world go round?

2.       You missed class due to illness and you ask a classmate for his class notes but he refuses to share or help. What kind of person is he according to the text? Be very precise and provide the two possible answers.

3.       What long cherished view concerning narcissists did Hepper prove wrong? The view that……

4.       In the study involving Chris, the standard view concerning narcissists was supported / not supported as …………………………………………………………………………………………….

5.       Read the second study involving Susan. Why was the result of the experiment surprising? What was the reason for this outcome?

6.       Explain what exactly the conclusion Hepper reaches after the third experiment means.

7.       What is the implication of Hepper’s research?

WRITING TASK

Use the information you gleaned from both texts to discuss the importance of empathy in our relationships with others and how it can be fostered.

FOUR WORDS TO SEEM MORE POLITE KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

This wonderful little text highlights the advantages of empathy in developing a healthy society and happy individuals.

1.       Considerate and sympathetic

2.       It creates harmonious relationships

3.       Be self centered, be big headed

4.       To make them more empathic

5.       The second one: “Manners are a way of showing other people we care about them”

HOW TO MAKE THE NARCISSIST IN YOUR LIFE A LITTLE NICER KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES

This little text focuses solely on narcissists and shows that they can be made into more prosocial people and taught to be more compassionate and as such, is very positive

1.       Because empathy means / involves understanding other people’s view points

2.       A sub-clinical narcissist or an everyday egoist (Narcissist won’t do; you were asked to be precise)

3.       Narcissists are largely incorrigible

4.       Supported; the more narcissistic among them were indeed less likely to feel empathy for the fictional jilted man.

5.       The more narcissistic the subjects were, the more the trick of telling them to take Susan’s perspective worked (The references in this sentence need to be replaced for the answer to make sense). By instructing them to think about it, activates this empathic response that was previously much weaker.

6.       There is a physical side to the problem.

7.       The research could help shape therapeutic interventions aimed at narcissists.