Exploring the Question: “Does Empathy Work in the Same Way in Online and In-Person Therapeutic Settings?”

Providing remote psychotherapy using technology is a growing practice, especially since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if in numerous studies video conferencing psychotherapy (VCP) was found to be clinically effective, some doubts continue to exist about how the psychotherapeutic alliance works in the online setting, and the characteristics of the empathic process are still poorly understood. This is an exploratory study aimed at analyzing the degree of empathy between the psychotherapist and client pair, and the degree of support perceived by the client who shall be referred to as the patient interchangeably in this study, comparing the sessions in person with those online, during the current pandemic, in order to discriminate the impact of empathy in the digital setting. The sample analyzed was composed of 23 patients with different severity of pathology engaged in online and in-person therapeutic sessions with five psychotherapists of different theoretical leanings. The scores of the support and empathy scale, obtained by both members of the psychotherapeutic couple in the two settings, were analyzed and compared. The test used belongs to an Italian adaptation of the Empathic Understanding (EU) of the Relationship Inventory. What emerged from comparing the scores was interesting: Unlike the psychotherapists, the patients perceived their therapists as significantly more empathic and supportive in the remote setting. These are rather important data, because the literature documents that client empathic perception measures represent a more accurate measure of the empathic relationship and, in general, can predict a good treatment outcome. Although these results need further investigation, they represent an important contribution in filling the scientific gap in the understanding of digital empathy. Also, this study provides new insights for future research on the characteristics and impact empathy has on the practice of remote psychotherapy.

Empathy as core to the development of holding and recognition: the case of Garret

Heinz Kohut investigated empathy in psychoanalysis in the mid-1950s and found it to be a powerful way to connect to, and be with, his patients. Since then, relatively few recent clinical cases of empathy have emerged, while theoretical discussion of empathy seems to be the norm. Moreover, empathy has not been linked to the development of holding and recognition. The Winnicottian notion of the holding metaphor, which describes the mother holding her infant, has been controversial but continues to be used in therapy. Revised by relational theorists, holding is now viewed as co-created within the intersubjective space. Few recent clinical cases exist showing how and what holding looks like in therapy. The concept of recognition, also used in therapy, is defined as the ability to recognize and experience the other as a separate other. Clinical cases showing recognition in therapy are few in number. As far as I know, no clinical cases suggest that empathy is necessary before holding and recognition can emerge. In this paper, identifying these clinical case gaps in the literature, I describe a small verbatim section of a session with my patient, Garret, in which I attempt to; i) show the empathic process, thus adding to the scarcity of clinical cases, and, ii) show the experience of holding and recognition as they emerge in this case, and iii) suggest that empathy is a necessary core process to the development of the experience of holding and recognition.

Empathy and Personality in Dentistry

The connection between empathy and communication on the dental practice is two-sided: on the one hand, empathy requires good communication skills (active listening, imagination, rich vocabulary) to be properly sensed and communicated to the other party in communication. Successful transmission of empathy is as important as the feeling itself. On the other hand, having empathy can greatly help the successful communication and transmission of the desired information by the sender. Through empathy, the sender can understand the current status of the addressee and thus convey the message more correctly. So it turns out that empathy alone is hardly enough. Personal qualities are also needed to establish contact during the empathic process.

SUICIDAS FELIZES E OUTROS MITOS: OS IMPLÍCITOS DO DISCURSO DA INDÚSTRIA DA CARNE PARA NORMATIZAÇÃO DO CONSUMO E ANULAÇÃO DA EMPATIA

O presente estudo pretende estabelecer, de forma transversal e exploratória, interfaces entre alguns fundamentos teóricos da comunicação, da neurociência e da análise de discurso. A intenção é compreender como construtos simbólicos da propaganda de alimentos se utilizam de estratégias discursivas para eliciar emoções e anular processos empáticos de forma a induzir e/ou favorecer o consumo de carne e seus derivados. Tal análise se justifica a partir de estudos recentes que mostram a importância das emoções e da empatia na formação de crenças, comportamentos e hábitos de consumo. A partir da análise de peças publicitárias produzidas pelas marcas Sadia, Seara e Friboi, e com base em descobertas recentes da neurociência, assume-se neste estudo que o processo empático é o primeiro estágio do ato comunicativo, que está ligado à capacidade de reconhecer estados emotivos no outro a partir de referências universais (inatas) e aprendidas (condicionadas). O marco teórico é constituído por pressupostos de Charaudeau (2004, 2016), Damásio (2000/2012), Ekman (2011), Krznaric (2015), Jung (1991/2011), entre outros, que vão ajudar na elaboração de circuitos que explicam a função das emoções na ativação e/ou anulação do processo empático por meio do ato de linguagem e do discurso na comunicação publicitária. Com isto, busca-se demonstrar a capacidade de manifestar e de perceber o sentir através da linguagem, de maneira a interferir na organização da mente, tanto em seus processamentos conscientes quanto inconscientes, afetando a cognição, o aprendizado e os hábitos de consumo.Palavras-chave: Comunicação. Discurso. Emoções. Empatia. Consumo. ABSTRACTThe present study aims to establish, in a transversal and exploratory way, interfaces between some theoretical foundations of communication, neuroscience and discourse analysis. The intention is to understand how symbolic constructs of food advertising use discursive strategies to elicit emotions and negate empathic processes in order to induce and / or favor the consumption of meat and its derivatives. This analysis is justified by recent studies that show the importance of emotions and empathy in the formation of beliefs, behaviors and consumption habits. Based on the analysis of advertising pieces produced by the brands Sadia, Seara and Friboi, and based on recent discoveries of neuroscience, it is assumed in this study that the empathic process is the first stage of the communicative act, which is linked to the ability to recognize states Emotional in the other from universal (innate) and learned (conditioned) references. The theoretical framework is constituted by the assumptions of Charaudeau (2004, 2016), Damásio (2000/2012), Ekman (2011), Krznaric (2015), Jung, among others,that will help in the elaboration of circuits that explain the function of the emotions in the activation and / or annulment of the empathic process through the act of language and the discourse in the advertising communication. In this way, the aim is to demonstrate the ability to express and perceive feeling through language, so as to interfere in the organization of the mind, both in its conscious and unconscious processes, affecting cognition, learning and consumption habits.Keywords: Communication. Speech. Emotions. Empathy. Consumption.

Empathic Communication in the Process of Teaching English

The aim of this study is to analyze the ways empathy influences the effectiveness of the process of teaching English. The problem of empathic communication in the educational process is considered. The genesis of the concept of empathy is traced in behaviorism, psychoanalysis and in humanistic psychology. The aspects of empathy are distinguished and characteristics of the empathic process are determined. The role of empathy in the educational process and in the teacher’s behaviour is described. The significance of empathy in intercultural communication of English learners is assessed.

Empathy, the song and the singer: a legacy of Robert Schumann

SummaryIn this article it is suggested that empathy is a core component of musical appreciation and particularly of the relationship between the singer and the audience. The brain pathways activated in musical appreciation are outlined and the nature of the empathic process considered with reference to Robert Schumann's songs and his experience of severe mental disorder. The article suggests that listening to Schumann's song cycle Dichterliebe (Poet's Love), or to other great music, is a useful component of continuing professional development and that such experience enhances therapeutic effectiveness and empathy, as well as increasing the understanding of the relationship between creativity and mental health.