Embodiment and Empathy: Linking Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology and Montessori Education in Fostering Emotional Understanding in Preschool Children
Keywords:
embodiment, empathy, emotional understanding, Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology, Montessori education, preschool childrenAbstract
This study was conducted with the aim of elucidating the role of embodiment in fostering empathy and emotional understanding among preschool children and clarifying the potential of Montessori education to strengthen these skills. The research was designed as a systematic review using a thematic synthesis approach based on the model proposed by Thomas and Harden (2008). Searches were carried out in the Google Scholar, ERIC, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases, along with manual searches of the reference lists of key articles, up to the year 2024. After removing duplicates and screening titles, abstracts, and full texts according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, 15 eligible sources were included in the synthesis. Conceptual data were extracted through line-by-line coding and organized into 12 descriptive themes and 3 analytical themes. The three principal analytical themes were: (1) embodiment in Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology and the mechanisms of emotional understanding; (2) components of Montessori education in emotional development; and (3) the linkage between embodiment and empathy in sensory–social activities. Based on these themes, structured sensory experiences and shared bodily interactions (such as movement imitation, group games, and practical life activities) enhance emotional self-awareness, emotion regulation, and bodily simulation/co-feeling, thereby facilitating the emergence of empathic behaviors. The integration of Merleau-Ponty’s embodiment framework with the Montessori pedagogical method opens new horizons for designing bodily–sensory environments and activities in preschool classrooms; activities such as working with tactile materials, practical life exercises, the silence game, and collaborative role-playing can systematically cultivate emotional understanding and empathy. Given the limitations of causal evidence and the absence of indigenous studies in Iran, intervention-based and context-sensitive research is recommended to evaluate the effectiveness of these activities.
Downloads
References
1. Denham SA. Emotional development in young children: Guilford Press; 1998.
2. Berk LE. Child development: Pearson; 2013.
3. Decety J, Jackson PL. The functional architecture of human empathy. Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Reviews. 2004;3(2):71-100. doi: 10.1177/1534582304267187.
4. Zahn-Waxler C, Radke-Yarrow M. The development of concern for others: Cambridge University Press; 1992. 115-51 p.
5. Fourie MM, Warton FL, Derrick-Sleigh T. Childhood abuse and neglect are differentially related to perceived discrimination and structural change in empathy-related circuitry. Scientific Reports. 2025;15:16361. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-00679-y.
6. Kawaguchi Y. Effects of Childhood Maltreatment on Mothers’ Empathy and Parenting Styles in Intergenerational Transmission. Scientific Reports. 2025;15(1). doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-92804-0.
7. Belal M. Salivary Oxytocin Levels, Empathy, and Executive Functions in Egyptian Children With ADHD: A Case–control Study. Middle East Current Psychiatry. 2025;32(1). doi: 10.1186/s43045-025-00540-y.
8. Tariq R, Anjum A. Childhood Abuse, Empathy, and Forgiveness in Young Adults. Journal of Research in Psychology (JRP). 2024;2(1):1-14.
9. Randolph JJ, Bryson A, Menon L, Henderson DK, Kureethara Manuel A, Michaels S, et al. Montessori education's impact on academic and nonacademic outcomes: A systematic review. Campbell Systematic Reviews. 2023;19(3):Article e1330. doi: 10.1002/cl2.1330.
10. Merleau-Ponty M. Phenomenology of perception. Translated by D. A. Landes ed: Routledge; 2012.
11. Merleau-Ponty M. Phenomenology of perception. Translated by A. Motahari ed: Ney Publishing; 2018.
12. Merleau-Ponty M. Child psychology and pedagogy: The Sorbonne lectures 1949-1952. Translated by T. Welsh ed: Northwestern University Press; 2010.
13. Gallagher S, Zahavi D. The phenomenological mind: An introduction to philosophy of mind and cognitive science. [Journal not specified]. 2008. doi: 10.4324/9780203086599.
14. Welsh T. The child as natural phenomenologist: Primal and primary experience in Merleau-Ponty's psychology: Northwestern University Press; 2013.
15. Shapiro L. Embodied cognition: Routledge; 2019.
16. Gallese V. Bodily selves in relation: Embodied simulation as second-person perspective on intersubjectivity. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 2014;369(1644):Article 20130177. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0177.
17. Dewey J. Experience and education: Macmillan; 1938.
18. Montessori M. The Montessori method: Scientific pedagogy as applied to child education in "The children's houses": Frederick A. Stokes Company; 1912.
19. Montessori M. The Montessori method. Translated by A.E. George ed: Amir Kabir Publishing; 2009.
20. Montessori M, Gutek GL, Gutek DS. The Montessori method: The origins of an educational innovation: Including an abridged and annotated edition of Maria Montessori's The Montessori method: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers; 2013.
21. Lillard AS, Heise MJ, Richey EM, Tong X, Hart A, Bray PM. Montessori preschool elevates and equalizes child outcomes: A longitudinal study. Frontiers in Psychology. 2017;8:Article 1783. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01783.
22. Marshall C. Montessori education: A review of the evidence base. npj Science of Learning. 2017;2(1):Article 11. doi: 10.1038/s41539-017-0012-7.
23. Gentaz E, Richard S. The behavioral effects of Montessori pedagogy on children's psychological development and school learning. Children. 2022;9(2):Article 133. doi: 10.3390/children9020133.
24. Elham D, Gholamreza M. The effectiveness of child-centered mindfulness training on self-esteem and empathy in preschool children. Journal of Medical Sciences of Mashhad University. 2020;62.
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Hojjat Navvab (Author); Vahid Fallah; Esmat Rasuli (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
