In our discussions of Theory of Mind and Reciprocity I have tried to put the adult issues in everyday language, that it involves putting oneself in another's shoes, seeing from another perspective, whether automatically or when cued. Today I ran across a Confucian saying that I think apt. "Imagine my heart were yours."
Update: That may refer more strictly to empathy. I use Theory of Mind to include both emotional perspectives and cognitive perspectives, but many use ToM to refer solely to cognitive. I think I need to be more careful about this.
The Confucian saying seems selfish to me, the opposite of my understanding of empathy (which could be very wrong). It works for sympathy I suppose.
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