Empathy in Communication - Essay Example

Empathy in communication

Empathy is important in human relationships. A broader context of empathy application makes this psychological element to be a crucial one. Interpersonal communication may be successful and cross-cultural conflicts may be put up in case empathy is properly involved. When we talk about empathy, we talk about an understanding of other people’s feelings and respect concerns of others. In such a way, empathy opens our eyes and we can see why one or another situation can be perceived in different manners by different people.

Empathy happens in the process of communication between two people. A further claim that “empathy is a form of interpersonal communication” (Jemczura, 2004) is justified and can be a starting point for further discussion of empathy. In accordance with Rogers, if empathy happens, then a system of reference of another man is clearly understood by his interlocutor. The way an individual feels emotions or expresses them and his attitude to a certain situation can be defined via empathy. Empathy can be efficient in the process of interpersonal communication via verbal means. Moreover, external conditions and physical signals expressing empathy for one interlocutor can prepossess another one to him. Thus empathy is an effective means of interpersonal communication though it requires additional knowledge about correct behavior in the process of expressing it.

Currently, empathy is an important aspect not only for interpersonal communication but also in conflict management on political, cultural, and social levels. For example, American counselors and psychotherapists treat their clients by implementing Western Euro-American values. Nevertheless, it is relevant to refer to the cultural peculiarities of different nations in order to work out an effective system of consulting and treatment (Jemczura, 2004). There are not many studies and research in this field. Cross-cultural psychological peculiarities should be properly studied in order to reach a consensus with a client of any nation. The fact that professional consulting and psychotherapy are of high relevance in the modern world, it is possible to claim that in the majority of cases, people visit consultants and psychotherapists to feel support and empathy. Thus every nation, cultural minority, or cultural sub-group has its own system of reference. For example, Western and Eastern women have different attitudes to their partners or husbands. In order to put up family conflicts of Eastern women it wouldn’t be relevant to implement Western Euro-American values. Thus there is a need to study culturally sensitive empathy. This aspect has been developed by different researchers, psychologists, and consultants. It includes psychological and cultural peculiarities studies with regard to different cultural minorities and cultural sub-groups.

            Empathy is a decisive point in my communication with others. I am sure that it is necessary to treat others the way you want them to treat you. Nevertheless, there is such kind of reserved interlocutors, who don’t want to show their ‘real face’. In this case, it is hard to show empathy to them. I think that in order to prevent empathy challenges, it is relevant to be sincere and smile. Very often when people see you smiling, they express their ideas sincerely too.  Empathy is an effective but rather challenging issue of interpersonal communication. To my mind, no pains no gains. So, if an individual has a goal to be an effective interlocutor and reach success in the process of communication, he should work hard at his communicative skills and physical expressions of empathy, such as a smile, open hands, direct unobtrusive glance at his interlocutor, etc.