Empathy as an Interpersonal Phenomenon

Eklund, Jakob Håkansson; Montgomery, Henry

doi:10.1177/0265407503020003001

Cited by 119 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In such interactions, any problems in communicating or understanding/being understood are likely to be more noticeable, and thus may be more Running head: THE PERSPECTIVE-TAKING PROCESS 23 salient or remembered by the person. The importance of understanding to the empathy experience has emerged in previous research (e.g., Håkansson & Montgomery, 2003), and suggests that this was not only a function of the use of the word in the induction. Instead, participants actively attempted to move from a place of lack of understanding to restore some part of a relationship.…”

Section: The Situationsmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…While Håkansson and Montgomery (2003) noted participants in their study used past experiences at differing levels of generality Running head: THE PERSPECTIVE-TAKING PROCESS 25 or abstraction, those in the present study generally used past experiences that were closer to that of the other (e.g., both having been in a problematic relationship). This finding suggests that a strategy or tool (i.e., use of past experience) may not be used only because it is available; instead, it took a reflection on the part of the person to determine its relevance (see also Preston & Hofelich, 2012).…”

Section: The Processmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…In another qualitative study, Håkansson and Montgomery (2003) asked participants to describe a real-life empathy experience (their central focus was not perspective taking), and found support for four hypothesized components of the experience: understanding, emotion, perceived similarity, and action/concern for the well-being of the other person. Finally, a phenomenological study by Kerem, Fishman, and Josselson (2001) found that cognitive components of empathy, such as perspective taking, were more often reported in a way that was easy to discern (as well as often being reported separately, in comparison to affectRunning head: THE PERSPECTIVE-TAKING PROCESS 7 related concepts, which it was suggested were often reported with cognitive-related components).…”

Section: The Process Of Perspective Takingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Exploratory Investigation of the Process of Perspective Taking in Interpersonal Situations

et al. 2013

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The ability to take the perspectives of others is considered a pre-requisite for effective interpersonal interaction. Despite extensive investigation into the correlates of perspective taking, there have been few previous attempts to understand the process by which people take another's psychological point of view. The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify the strategies used by individuals when attempting to take the perspective of another person.Twelve participants discussed a time they engaged in perspective taking. The analysis revealed that perspective taking was used in situations in which significant negative emotions could arise, and that participants shifted between the use of self-information (e.g., switching places, past experience) and other-information (e.g., target's personal characteristics) during the process of perspective taking. Different emotions and cognitions were associated with taking one's own perspective and taking that of the other person. The study provides a direct consideration of an under-investigated component of social and personal relationships.

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Section: The Situationsmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: The Processmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: The Process Of Perspective Takingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Exploratory Investigation of the Process of Perspective Taking in Interpersonal Situations

et al. 2013

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“…Empathy refers to the ability to mentally position oneself in the place of others. In particular, empathy is depicted as possessing four constituents: 1) the empathizer understands the target's situation and emotions, 2) the target experiences one or more emotions, 3) the empathizer perceives a similarity between what the target is experiencing and something the empathizer has experienced previously, and 4) the empathizer is concerned with the target's well-being (Hakansson & Montgomery, 2003). Essentially, empathy is an attitudinal framework, but it also involves various techniques and practices.…”

Section: Training In Empathymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Complementary Effects of Empathy and Nonverbal Communication Training on Persuasion Capabilities

Peterson¹,

Leonhardt²

2015

AIJ

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This paper investigates the possible complementary effects that training in empathy andKeywords: empathy, nonverbal communication, persuasion, training, business communication chievement in organizations often requires selling one's ideas to others, convincing others that particular courses of action have positive or negative consequences, and leading others to actions that will be beneficial to the employer. Persuasive ability can be used to convince company employees and others outside the firm, such as customers, to accept suggestions and proposals. On the other hand, if an organization member is ineffective in persuading others, he or she may be unsuccessful at large (Hodler, Loertscher, & Rohner, 2014). Research is needed that identifies methods capable of enhancing the persuasive abilities of marketing and other personnel. The objective of this paper is to consider the possible complementary effects that training in both empathy and nonverbal communication may have on persuasion effectiveness in business communication.This objective is unique and fills a knowledge gap by offering preliminary evidence to support the notion that training in both of these areas may be superior to training in only one-the two may be complements to one another. In particular, in an exploratory study, MBA students (N = 192) were assigned to one of four training conditions in which they received training in nonverbal communication, empathy, nonverbal communication and empathy, or in general presentation skills. then assessed the students in terms of their persuasive capabilities, and the students also provided feedback on the perceived value of their training. Overall, we find support for the notion that training in either nonverbal communication or empathy is effective; however, training that includes both of these elements is more effective than either alone. Such results have important implications for both business instructors and practicing managers and trainers.

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“…It is most often conceptualized in one of two ways: (1) as a heightened sensitivity to another"s emotional state that results in a shared emotional response and feelings of sympathy, or (2) as the ability to decode a target person"s thoughts and feelings and respond accordingly (Marangoni, Ickes, Garcia & Teng, 1995). Both of these treat empathy as a predominantly intra-psychic phenomenonsomething experienced (or felt) by the person who is empathizing, rather than something perceived by someone who is being empathized with (Hakansson & Montgomery, 2003). In patient consultations, however, it is arguably whether patients judge their physician to demonstrate empathy that is important (Newton et al, 2000): an interpersonal perspective that is reflected in many medical definitions of empathy.…”

Section: Proximal and Distal Predictors Of Perceived Empathymentioning

confidence: 99%

"Trust Me...": Psychological and Behavioral Predictors of Perceived Physician Empathy.

Silvester¹,

Patterson²,

Koczwara³

et al. 2007

Journal of Applied Psychology

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This is the unspecified version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. attribution questionnaire prior to a structured patient consultation exercise, during which patients and assessors rated physician empathy. The exercise was audiotaped, transcribed and content analyzed for verbal behaviors. Support was found for the hypotheses, however, patients but not medical assessors associated empathy with reassurance and provision of medical information. Permanent repository link: Predicting empathy judgments 2Empathy is particularly important for medical practitioners. Physician empathy has been shown to predict patient trust, compliance with clinical decisions, and satisfaction with medical services (Barnett, Howard, King & Dino, 1981;Becker & Maiman, 1975;Newton et al. 2000). Yet surprisingly little is known about the factors that lead patients to judge physician empathy. This research set out to address two related research questions: a) how can we explain and predict individual differences in judged physician empathy, and b) what are the behavioral cues that lead patients to judge their physician as empathic? We tested a socio-cognitive model of judged empathy among 100 physicians undertaking standardized patient consultations as part of a structured selection process. Proximal and Distal Predictors of Perceived EmpathyEmpathy has been defined in many ways, reflecting a multitude of theoretical and empirical perspectives (cf. Preston & de Waal, 2002). It is most often conceptualized in one of two ways: (1) as a heightened sensitivity to another"s emotional state that results in a shared emotional response and feelings of sympathy, or (2) as the ability to decode a target person"s thoughts and feelings and respond accordingly (Marangoni, Ickes, Garcia & Teng, 1995). Both of these treat empathy as a predominantly intra-psychic phenomenonsomething experienced (or felt) by the person who is empathizing, rather than something perceived by someone who is being empathized with (Hakansson & Montgomery, 2003). In patient consultations, however, it is arguably whether patients judge their physician to demonstrate empathy that is important (Newton et al., 2000): an interpersonal perspective that is reflected in many medical definitions of empathy. For example, More (1996) Predicting empathy judgments 3 suggests that empathy is "… a form of relational knowledge. Its manifestation is not "concern" but "presence." The empathetic physician is neither objective nor subjective, Communication Behavior and EmpathyThe nature of physician-patient interactions influences both positive clinical outcomes and less positive outcomes such as lawsuits for malpractice (Di Blazi, Harkness, Predicting empathy judgments 4Ernst, Georgiou & Kleijnen, 2001;Levinson & Chaumeton, 1999; Mercer, McConnachie, Maxwell, Heaney & Watt, 2005;Vincent, Young & Phillips, 1994). Yet, despite a considerable body of research investigating physician-patient communication (e.g., BenSira, 1980; Buller & Buller, 19...

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Empathy as an Interpersonal Phenomenon

Cited by 119 publications

References 22 publications

An Exploratory Investigation of the Process of Perspective Taking in Interpersonal Situations

An Exploratory Investigation of the Process of Perspective Taking in Interpersonal Situations

The Complementary Effects of Empathy and Nonverbal Communication Training on Persuasion Capabilities

"Trust Me...": Psychological and Behavioral Predictors of Perceived Physician Empathy.

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