Abstract

RODRIGUES, Marisa Cosenza; PERON, Nayara Benevenuto; CORNELIO, Monaliza Medeiros  and  FRANCO, Gisele de Rezende. Implementation and assessment of a Program for the Development of Empathy in Psychology students. Estud. pesqui. psicol. [online]. 2014, vol.14, n.3, pp. 914-932. ISSN 1808-4281.

Empathy is a multidimensional social skill that enables the individual to understand someone's feelings, needs and perspectives, expressing this understanding so that the other person feels understood and validated. In psychology and the field of health in general, empathy is essential in professional practice. This pilot study aimed to implement and assess the effect of a program for the development of empathy in 14 undergraduate students in psychology, of average age 21.9 years, at a public university in Minas Gerais. The Empathy Inventory - EI and the Multidimensional Interpersonal Reactivity Index - MIRI were used for the pre- and post-test. The program included five weekly meetings, totaling 18 hours of intervention. We conducted a follow-up survey three months after the end of the program, by means of interviews subjected to content analysis. The quantitative results indicated improvements in the following EI factors: grasping perspective, affective sensitivity, interpersonal flexibility and altruism. The assessment of the follow-up showed benefits for the daily and relational life of the participants, greater preparedness in the sphere of psychological practices and improvement of academic training. We conclude that it is necessary for future professionals to improve their empathic skills.

Keywords : training of empathy; university students; empathy.

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