Empathy: the critical skill

10 At last, we are the same. Author At first understanding, helpful to practitioners in developing I soon feel with you. and refining empathie skill and in On recognizing myself in you, deepening their understanding of em I feel the you in me. pathy. This artiele will also review some innovations in ways of enhanc ing empathy through education, staff Social workers are especially aware development, and individual effort that empathy is the binding substance from which practitioners can benefit, of the human relationship by which Conceptualizations of empathy have people transmit their culture, their been articulated primarily by people humanity. The knowledge that people engaged in the one-to-one therapeu feel in similar ways and share some l'c relationship. Their ideas are ap common needs becomes the basis of plicable, however, to other practice trust and of relatedness to others. relationships in which social workers Empathy both facilitates communicaare involved. tion and provides the impetus for Since the term Einfilhlung was in growth and change through relationtroduced by Theodore Lipps in 1897, ships. Furthermore, it is a fundamentwo components of empathie skill, tal tenet of practice wisdom that emunderstanding and feeling, have been pathy is an essential ingredient in the stressed by students of human behav professional helping process. Empathy 'or at different times and in different has been examined and reexamined by ways.4 Understanding consists of per theorists.1 Surveys have demonstrated ceptual and cognitive behaviors that the extent to which the importance of combine to form "social understand empathy is recognized by various helping," and, according to Rosalind Dy ing professions.2 And empathy has remond, the ability for "imaginative peatedly been identified as one of the transposition of oneself into the think critical variables affecting the outcome 'n8' feeling and acting of another and of the helping process.3 • • • tthus for] structuring the world To practitioners of a helping proas he does." 5 fession that is concerned with the speThose who stress perception and cificity of practice behaviors and with cognition in defining empathy see ob accountability in professional activijectivity, detachment, and analytic ties, empathy must be more than a knowledge of the other person's social vague or overinclusive concept. At roles as its critical dimensions. For the same time, operational definitions instance, in enumerating skills that are of empathy that are too narrow or direquired for competence in interper vergent do not lend themselves to sonal relationships, lessor and Rich easily shared meanings outside the ardson asserted: skills development modules in social , . ., , , . First the individual must be able to work practice courses. . , ,, , , . , , . . , , , , _ take the role of another accurately; he In this article, the author defines must be ab]e tQ corr£ctly predict the empathy as a set of behaviors that conimpact that various lines of action will stitute a skill central to effective social have on the other-s definitions of the work intervention at every level. The situation. This is what is meant by empirical study of empathie skill and empathy if we strip the concept of its the refinement of the concept of emaffective overtones.8 pathy have made possible clear con ceptualizations that incorporate the Although it is possible to under contributions of several fields and that stand another person without feeling can be systematically applied by pracwith him, true empathie skill includes titioners, educators, and researchers in the capacity for an emotional re the field of social work. The purpose sponse.7 There is no better evidence of of this article is to clearly delineate this emotional component of empathy empathie skill—not in order to reduce than the greater degree of physiologi it to mechanical sterility, but rather to cal responses observed in individuals render it more easily learned and who demonstrated higher levels of em taught. Such a delineation should be pathy. For example, Gellen found