The meaning and development of empathy for experienced counsellors : a phenomenological inquiry
Date
1994
Authors
Lisson, Beth
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Abstract
This study investigated, from a phenomenological perspective, the meaning and development of empathy for experienced counsellor. As the review of the literature indicates, empathy is an essential condition in helping relationships. Of equal importance is the counsellor's understanding of empathy, his or her beliefs and values in regard to empathic rapport, and awareness of the consequences of empathy on the therapeutic relationship. In spite of this, research examining empathy from a qualitative perspective has been very limited. This study sought to explicate the meaning and development of empathy for the purpose of deepening understanding of the phenomena and investigating its complexity.
Previous researchers have endeavoured to identify and measure behavioral indicators of empathy in counselling interactions as well as to describe empathy in a broader sense. Experimental methods used in many of the previous studies have not addressed the meaning and development of empathy for counsellors. Writers and researchers agree that empathy is a complex and demanding, yet sensitive and powerful way of being. The present study adopted a phenomenological approach in order to explore and describe the meaning of empathy from the perspective of experienced counsellors.
Counsellors' experiences of empathy were assumed, for the purposes of this study, to include the following aspects: their definition of empathy, the context and process involved in the development of empathy, the perceived impact of empathy, and the personal meaning of empathy. Three women who were experienced counsellors were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed in relation to the meaning and development of empathy, for each participant individually and three participants together as a group.
The results indicated that the development of empathy was an on-going process, occurring in different contexts over time. Participants identified individual life circumstances, learning experience, emotional reactions, physiological responses, and observations of the impact of empathy for themselves and others.
In the concluding chapter of this study, relationships among the present findings and those of previous researchers are discussed, applications of the present findings to both counsellors and counsellor education, and recommendations for future research are suggested.