P
PEACE
Bennett Pierrce Preventio
on Research C
Center
The
e Pennsylvaniia State Univversity
PEACE
P
(PROGRAM
M ON EMPAT
THY AWARE
ENESS AND COMPASSIO
ON IN EDUCA
ATION)
The Prog
gram on Emp
pathy, Aware
eness and Compassion i n Education
n (PEACE) wa
as establishe
ed in
2009 with the missio
on to promotte health an
nd well-bein g in children
n, youth, an
nd families
through the
t scientifiic understan
nding and prromotion of awareness, compassion
n, and empatthy.
Program faculty, ressearch assocciates and sttudents engaage in work that focusess on develop
ping
a strong multidiscipllinary sciencce in this em
merging areaa. PEACE sup
pports interd
disciplinary
scholarly
y activities ranging
r
from
m theoreticall essays to b
basic researcch on the de
evelopment of
awareness, compassion, and em
mpathy, to th
he design an
nd evaluation of interve
entions inten
nded
to fosterr these attrib
butes in indiividuals and relationship
ps.
The work
k of PEACE is guided by the central conviction tthat awaren
ness, compassion, and
empathy
y are core dimensions off human nature that con
ntribute to p
personal devvelopment a
and
wellness. Although the
t primary focus of PEA
ACE is on the
e wellness o
of children a
and youth, w
we
recognize
e that childrren are nurttured throug
gh relationsh
hips with paarents, teach
hers, and other
adults wiithin the eco
ological contexts of fam
milies, schoo
ols, and com
mmunities. A
Awareness,
compassiion, and empathy are in
ntrapersonall experience
es that contrribute to pe
ersonal well-being and
d interperso
onal experiences that nu
urture stron g and life-enhancing re
elationships.
Thus, pro
omoting the
ese qualities in caregivers within ke y developmental contexxts (e.g.,
families, schools, etc.) is essenttial to promo
oting child w
well-being.
Backgrou
und
Over the past decade, research on understa
anding and n
nurturing po
ositive aspeccts of human
n
experience has inclu
uded an inte
egration of Western
W
and Eastern phiilosophical cconcepts succh as
mindfuln
ness, awaren
ness, compassion, and equanimity.
e
These conce
epts describ
be psychologgical
processes that can le
ead individu
uals to experrience everyyday life in a calmer, m
more balance
ed
and peac
ceful way, th
hereby redu
ucing emotio
onal sufferin
ng, stress, an
nd related p
poor health
outcomes. Advancess have includ
ded basic sciience studie
es of the asssociations be
etween thesse
attribute
es and individual well-be
eing, neurosscience stud
dies connectting these atttributes to brain
function,, and interve
ention studies to help in
ndividuals c ultivate the
eir capacitiess for
compassiion, awareness, mindfulness, etc.
Interventtions that nu
urture these
e abilities ha
ave shown p
promise for rreducing psyychological
problemss, including anxiety, depression, an
nd substance
e abuse. Succh interventiions also havve
reduced negative ph
hysical and psychologica
p
al responses to stress an
nd increased
d individuals’
capacity for focus an
nd attention
n. Further, nurturing
n
aw
wareness, co
ompassion, a
and empathyy has
the potential to improve the quality of our relationship
ps. While numerous centters on mind
dbody hea
alth have de
eveloped at major
m
unive
ersities, therre has been little focus on children and
1
PEACE
Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center
The Pennsylvania State University
youth or the cultivation of these attributes in the early and most malleable stages of
development.
Center Goals
1. To conduct and support high-quality scholarship on compassion, awareness, and empathy
and their associations with well-being in children, youth, and those who care for and
educate them.
2. To develop and evaluate interventions to promote the development of compassion,
awareness, and empathy within individuals and contexts.
3. To create a community of scientists and practitioners that value and support the
development of these attributes in families, schools, and communities.
4. To disseminate scientific findings to support innovation in families, schools, and
communities
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