Feeling Their Stories

Abstract

Empathy is a very familiar term in the helping and caring literature. What appears to link empathy in the helping literature to the aims and goals of qualitative research and, in particular, to the argument underpinning insider/outsider debates, is a discernible common quest. That quest is to be able to hear, feel, understand, and value the stories of others and to convey that felt empathy and understanding back to the client/storyteller/participant. When relevant, the quest also includes conveying that felt understanding to a broader audience. In this article, I highlight commonalities between empathy in professional practice and empathy in qualitative research processes, including the shared experiences and understanding informing research relationships that are discussed as "insider/outsider" status. I review, discuss, and critique relevant literature, and I conclude by suggesting that cultivating empathy in qualitative research training could contribute to facilitating more enriched, insightful research encounters.

An account from the inside: Examining the emotional impact of qualitative research through the lens of “insider” research.

“…My depth of feeling was explicit (reflected in the transcription as me making a “shocked noise” and commenting to Nicole that I was holding back tears). As Gair (2012) describes in her discussion of empathy in qualitative interviewing, I believe that this deep feeling fostered an enriched research relationship, which in turn allowed for the collection of enriched interview data in this and subsequent interviews. That is, I believe that my “empathic moves” towards Nicole helped to create an environment where she felt comfortable sharing experiences and emotions that she might not otherwise have contributed to the research.…”

“…I was breastfeeding my baby while Nicole shared her experience of having to rush her own newborn baby to hospital with potentially serious medical complications. Despite the fact that the baby was now healthy and in her own mother’s arms, this experience elicited a depth of emotion that I would consider beyond what has been termed ‘feeling their stories’ (Gair, 2012, title), in that I could feel the weight of Nicole’s experience not only metaphorically, but literally, with respect to the infant in my own arms. My depth of feeling was explicit (reflected in the transcription as me making a “shocked noise” and commenting to Nicole that I was holding back tears).…”

A critical pedagogy of empathy: making a better world achievable

“…In other words, they need empathy. As proposed by Rogers (1957Rogers ( /1992, as cited in Gair, 2012), empathy is the ability "to sense the client's private world 'as if' it were your own but without ever losing the 'as if' quality" (p. 832). Thus, empathy results in "understanding, sharing and creating an internal space to accept the other person" (Cunico, Sartori, Marognolli, & Meneghini, 2012, p. 2016.…”

“…Thus, empathy results in "understanding, sharing and creating an internal space to accept the other person" (Cunico, Sartori, Marognolli, & Meneghini, 2012, p. 2016. Empathy is an important component of supportive relationships and improved communication because it is related to reduced prejudice, better understanding of thoughts, contexts and motives, better perception of situations and more accurate assessment of actions and consequences (Cunico et al, 2012;Gair, 2012;Lazarakou, 2008;Lee & Shemilt, 2011).…”

“…In fact, empathy is a skill that may be taught through interventions such as communication skills workshops, drama techniques, narratives, storytelling, vignettes and creation of avatars (Gair, 2012(Gair, , 2013Lim et al, 2011;Volk, 2012;Webster, 2010). Based on the above, we decided to develop a critical pedagogy of empathy, as a strategy towards emancipation and social justice.…”