Caring

In just about all aspects of life, the human emotion of caring is evident. Whether you support a particular political candidate based on “caring for a cause” or ponder career choices so that you can provide more for loved ones because you “care” about them, you are experiencing the basic emotional response of showing concern, empathy, or sympathy as the situation requires. When you see situations that prompt your attention or if another person appears to be in need of some assistance, the emotional urge to help is prompted by caring.

When experiencing caring, the internal feedback is that you perceive the relationship or other individual:
· Is important.
· Is a focus of your concern.
· Needs support or assistance.
· Deserves your undivided attention.

Emotion serves you by:
The emotion of caring provides for increasing the bond in relationships and facilitating social responsibility. When you experience caring, you feel support and encouragement from those around you. Even in demanding situations where care is directed, this eventually contributes to a state of well-being, safety, and reduced tension.

Caring and Health
The urge and emotional energy associated with caring can raise attentional focus that is directed toward an individual or individuals. This increased effort can be moderately stressful depending on the condition of the individual for whom caring is being expressed. If this is a relatively comfortable situation, then the energy is likely to be used in productive ways. If this is an uncomfortable situation, such as a loved one in a healthcare facility, emotions of anxiety or feelings of frustration may create a highly stressful situation. These emotions can combine to affect immune efficiency in positive or negative ways, depending on the context.

Generate this emotion in others by:
Giving full attention to the other person with eye contact and an open body stance.
Paraphrasing the information and emotion apparent in an interaction.
Showing interest in the other person’s perspective through open-ended questions.

Variations by Type
When we experience caring, everyone has the same neurological event. However, the triggers of caring and how it is expressed varies by personality type. What one type experiences as information that a person is in need and how they should respond is not the same as another.

Summarized below are the triggers by the mental functions of psychological type:

Sensing +Thinking Triggers and Responses:
Physical gap exists that requires physical assistance (e.g. you see a mother carrying a child and she about to drop her bag of groceries)
Individual seems to need directions to a specific location
Being very careful to provide explicit, verifiable information to others
Being efficient is an act of caring

Sensing + Feeling Triggers and Responses:
Individual is in physical discomfort and needs assistance
Individual has emotional discomfort which is prompted by a physical situation
Being attentive to the specific source of difficulty is an act of caring
Being willing to carefully record the details of a situation shows caring

Intuiting + Feeling Triggers and Responses:
Individual is psychologically or emotionally uncomfortable
Individual seems detached or emotionally uninvolved in the situation
Being demonstratively empathetic is an act of caring
Being an active listener and emotionally supportive is caring

Intuiting + Thinking Triggers and Responses:
Individual appears to lack the “know how” to get something done
Individual needs clarity in analyzing a situation
Offering a strategic or “big picture” perspective on a situation is an act of caring
Dialoguing about options, choices, and outcomes is an act of caring