Empathetic Logic Analysis (ELA) was first modeled in 1986 by Stephen L. Reisman and Stephen J. Serio, while conducting research in the field of Social Psychology/Public Policy. Academic research was continued by Reisman with a focus on Forensic Psychology, while Serio continued his work in Applied Social Psychology at Loyola University (Chicago). ELA builds upon the work of Terry L. Deibel, particularly the seminal textbook, Foreign Affairs Strategy. Specifically, modifications are made to the underlying assumptions of: 1) human thinking/condition; 2) reality/known truth; 3) future.