Empathy Definition Social Work
Both concepts are explained using the latest cognitive neuroscience research on brain activity.
Empathy definition social work. This work explored cognitive and affective empathy among a diverse group of social work graduate students at one university. Shulman 2009 yet actual research on empathy as well as evidence of empathy training in the social work curriculum. Orlinsky howard 1975. According to the social work dictionary barker 2003 empathy can be defined as the act of perceiving understanding experiencing and responding to the emotional state and ideas of another person the act of empathy reflects one of nasw s core.
Empathy reflective ability emotional intelligence social work students social work education acknowledgement we thank v. Reflections on empathy in social work practice a qualitative study among swedish social workers denise lazo and ellinor vik 2014 student thesis bachelor level 15 he credits social work social work specialisation in international social work supervisor. The interest of this study is specifically based on measuring the level of empathy among social work students due to the population social workers serve. The ability to share someone else s feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like.
Say the word empathy around social workers and most will recognize it as a professional must have even if they can t tell you exactly what it means. It is hardly new to proclaim that empathy is a critical and essential ability for effective social work practice. Scholars also disagree about the definition of empathy and what it looks like in social work practice. This article defines and explains the concept and trait of social empathy and the relationship to interpersonal empathy.
This has been stated explicitly by many social work educators for example hepworth rooney rooney strom gottfried larsen 2006. Empathy is at its simplest awareness of the feelings and emotions of other people. Empathy goes far beyond sympathy which might be considered feeling for someone. Sujatha principal and g.
It is a key element of emotional intelligence the link between self and others because it is how we as individuals understand what others are experiencing as if we were feeling it ourselves.