Title
Empathy as a Hermeneutic Practice
Date
September 1996
Document Type
Article
Subject Area(s)
Clinical Medicine; Empathy; Ethics, Medical; Physician-Patient Relations
Abstract
This essay will argue for the centrality of empathy in the doctor-patient relationship-as a core of ethically sound, responsible therapeutics. By "empathy," I intend an explicitly hermeneutic practice, informed by a reflexive understanding of patient and self. After providing an overview of the history of the concept of empathy in clinical medicine, I discuss current definitions and the use of Balint groups in residency training as a way to develop empathic competence in novice physicians.
Rights and Permissions
Published in: Theoretical Medicine, 1996, 17:3, 243-254.
Related Resources
PubMed ID
8952420
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