| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of Human Relationships |
| Editors | Harry T. Reis, Susan Sprecher |
| Place of Publication | Thousand Oaks, CA |
| Publisher | Sage Publications, Inc. |
| Pages | 1228-1231 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Volume | 3 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781412958479 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781412958462 |
| State | Published - 2009 |
Abstract
Perspective taking describes a person's attempt to understand a stimulus from a different point of view. In relationships, perspective taking typically describes one person's attempt to understand a relationship partner's mental representations—his or her thoughts, feelings, attitudes, beliefs, preferences, or evaluations. Perspective taking is a broad term that is generally used to describe conscious and deliberate attempts to infer other people's mental states. Perspective taking can lead to empathy, whereby a person directly experiences another's emotional state or can induce people to experience emotions about another person's experience, such as pride or sympathy.