Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Psychology

Chapter

Therapeutic Approaches

Question:

Which of the following statement (s) is/are correct about 'empathy' in a therapeutic relationship?

Options:

Empathy is intellectual understanding of the client by the therapist.

The therapist is able to understand the plight of another person, and feel like the other person.

Both 1 and 2

None of the above

Correct Answer:

The therapist is able to understand the plight of another person, and feel like the other person.

Explanation:

The therapist has empathy for the client. Empathy is different from sympathy and intellectual understanding of another person’s situation.

In sympathy, one has compassion and pity towards the suffering of another but is not able to feel like the other person.

Intellectual understanding is cold in the sense that the person is unable to feel like the other person and does not feel sympathy either.

On the other hand, empathy is present when one is able to understand the plight of another person, and feel like the other person. It means understanding things from the other person’s perspective, i.e. putting oneself in the other person’s shoes. Empathy enriches the therapeutic relationship and transforms it into a healing relationship.