Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

5-1995

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Psychology

Major Professor

Howard R. Pollio

Committee Members

Len Handler, Ron Hopson, Kathleen Bohstedt

Abstract

Psychotherapists' experiences of empathy with their patients were explored in order to understand the characteristics and the meanings of such experiences. Phenomenological interviews were conducted with ten seasoned psychologists from the East Tennessee - Western North Carolina area. They were asked to describe in detail experiences of empathy from their clinical work. Phenomenological analysis of these interview texts rendered four major interrelated themes: letting go, connecting, being responsible and responsive, and danger. Letting go was perceived as a change in mode of experiencing from doing to being. It involved letting go of the tethers to the everyday personal world as well as customary personal and professional processes, particularly the "need to know". Connecting was characterized as a resonance to the patient and involves connecting to patient's experience and connecting to one's own experiences, while the points of interpersonal connection are affective.Moments of connection were described as attaining an understanding of the meaning of the patient's experience. Being responsible and responsive allude to the context of therapy and imply a movement towards a positive end that will further the therapeutic work. It ushers in another shift from a more receptive mode to an active one. It means to be useful and provide understanding. Danger and risk are part of the empathic experience. Therapists are asked to go to places of pain and trust they will return. Therapists were aware that the perception of danger and safety promotes or hinders empathic experiences. They realized that the danger to themselves can be on a personal or professional level. Throughout the empathic experience therapists also were aware of the patient's experience of these four components as well as as well as the empathic experience as a whole. The implications for clinical education and practice were discussed.

Download
Files over 3MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "save as..."

Share

COinS