Love, Compassion, and Empathy
last authored:
last reviewed:
Introduction
A May 28 study assessed empathy in college students between 1984 and 2009. They found a 40% decrease in empathy (O'Brien, Hsing, Konrath, 2010). This is breeding a generation focused on themselves.
Empathy overlaps with respect, and we don't trust others nearly as much as before.
Many people have low empathy, such as people who carry out abuse or assault.
shea - there is areal drop in compassion in 1st year med school stabilizes in 2nd year, drops again in 3rd year "we need some sort of vitamin D for the soul" mood drops too. 'hold onto your kindness. it's probably the most important thing for a physician to have'
Does the way I feel, tell me something about the patient, or about myself?
Discussion of emotional issues can be therapeutic, and the empathic relationship is critical to psychotherapy.
Emapyhy correlates with mood state of heath care professionals
Empathy Can be Taught
Reflection - you seem upset
Validation - I can understand your anger
Support - you are doing very well
Partnership - perhaps we can work together
Respect - you have a lot of compassion for your wife
Resources and References
O'Brien EH, Hsing C, Konrath S. 2010. Changes in Dispositional Empathy Over Time in American College Students. poster presentation, 22nd annual convention of the Association for Psychological Science (APS).
 |