Empathy

1
Interpersonal
Understanding and Comforting
2
Empathy is the process of identifying with the
feelings of others.
3
Approaches to Empathy

• Empathic Responsiveness
• Perspective Taking
• Sympathetic Responsiveness

4
Empathy identifying with or vicariously
experiencing the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes
of another
Empathic response an emotional response
parallel to another persons actual or
anticipated display of emotion
5
Perspective Taking
Imaging oneself in the place of another
6
Sympathetic Responsiveness
Feeling concern, compassion, or sorrow for
another because of the others situation or plight
7
How do we Empathize?

• Actively attend to what the person is saying.
• Observe and understand both verbal and nonverbal
  messages, using paraphrases and perception
  checking to help you.
• Draw on your experience to understand the
  situation.

8
Paraphrasing

• Put your understanding of a message into words
  to clarify meaning.
• Content conveys understanding of the denotative
  meaning
• Feeling conveys your understanding of the
  speakers connotative meaning

9
Empathizing

• Can be particularly difficult across cultures.
• Cross-cultural communication requires us to be
  even more attentive to verbal and non-verbal
  clues than we normally would.

10
Supporting a statement whose goal is to show
approval, bolster, encourage, soothe, console, or
cheer up

• Recognize others good feelings and affirm their
  right to have them.
• Give comfort when a person has negative feelings.

11
Effective Support Messages

• Clearly state the aim to help the other
• Express acceptance, love, and affection for the
  other
• Demonstrate care, concern, and interest in the
  others situation

12
Effective Support Messages (2)

• Indicate that the speaker is available to listen
  and support the other
• State that the speaker is an ally
• Acknowledge the others feelings and situation
  and express sincere sympathy
• Assure the other that feelings are legitimate
• Encourage the other to elaborate

13
Ineffective Support Messages

• Condemn and criticize the others feelings and
  behavior
• Imply that the others feelings are not warranted
• Tell the other how to feel
• Focus attention on the speaker
• Intrude by representing a level of concern
  greater than is appropriate within the
  relationship

14
Supportive Message Skills

• We can all benefit from training in the six
  supportive message skills (identified by Brian
  Burleson)

• Clarifying supportive intentions
• Buffering face threats (negative and positive)
• Using Other-centered messages
• Framing messages
• Giving advice

15
Clarifying Supportive Intentions

• Directly state your intentions by emphasizing
  your desire to help
• Remind your partner of your commitment to the
  relationship
• Indicate that helping is your only motive
• Phrase your clarification in a way that reflects
  helpfulness.

16
Buffering Face Threats

• Positive Facework messages protect the partners
  need to be respected, liked, and valued.

• Describe and convey positive feelings about what
  the other has said and done
• Express your admiration for their courage
• Acknowledge the difficulty of the situation
• Express your belief that the other has the
  qualities and skills needed to endure

17
Buffering Face Threats (2)

• Negative facework messages support the partners
  need for independence and autonomy.

• Ask for permission before giving advice
• Verbally defer to the opinions and preferences of
  the other person
• Use tentative language to hedge and qualify
  opinions and advice

18
Using Other-Centered Messages

• Ask questions that prompt the person to elaborate
  on what happened
• Emphasize your willingness to listen to an
  extended story
• Use vocalized encouragement and non-verbal
  behavior to communicate continued interest
• Affirm, legitimize, and encourage exploration of
  feelings expressed by partner
• Demonstrate the you understand but avoid changing
  the focus to you.

19
Interpreting (Framing)
Information and Experiences
Reframes information to help the other understand
from a different perspective
20
Giving Advice

• Advice giving messages present relevant
  suggestions that a person could use to
  satisfactorily resolve a situation.
• In general, advice messages should not be
  expressed until our supportive intentions are
  fully understood.

21
(No Transcript)