Evaluating the Phenomenological Approach to Empathy Training

The purpose of this article is to report on a study that attempted to qualitatively evaluate the phenomenological approach to empathy training. A descriptive phenomenological psychological method was used to explicate the lived applied meaning of the training. The result disclosed a general structure of the phenomenon, composed of the following five constituents: (a) a serious context in which one is encountering the other who is emotionally distressed about something, (b) directing one’s lived presence to the other’s meaning-expression, (c) a shift in emotional context, (d) novelty of approach toward interpersonal understanding, and (e) disclosing an interpersonal relatedness. The results were briefly discussed in relation to the content and the procedures of the training.
Source: Journal of Humanistic Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Articles Source Type: research