Anticipatory empathy and power dynamics in social work practice

Social Justice

Just Get Started: Engagement

Anticipatory empathy can be described as the ability of a person to evaluate the effects of his or her actions or words on another person. This is a common technique used by therapist to understand the outcomes of their therapy.

It is necessary to practice social justice that one can understand in other person's shoes and try to perceive the impacts that one's may have on other. In fact, anticipatory empathy is highly important for the students and educators of social work practice. Evidence suggests that practitioner-to-client empathy is critical for effective social work practice (e.g., Berg, Raminani, Greer, Harwood, & Safren, 2008; Forrester, Kershaw, Moss, & Hughes, 2008; Green & Christensen, 2006; Mishara et al., 2007; Sale, Bellamy, Springer, & Wang, 2008). We also know that empathy is essential to adequate moral development (Jollife & Farrington, 2006). Furthermore, empathy is highly important in developing healthy relationships and moral development (Busby & Garnder, 2008; Curtner-Smith et al., 2006).

Social justice and anticipatory empathy are congruent to each other. In order to practice social justice, one must understand the requirement of the current situation and how selecting a certain course of action may have its impacts on the person facing it. Its only anticipatory empathy which can earn due cares for the person facing injustice. When they do this, they become aware of their empathic feelings for the victim (empathic guilt, empathic distress, guilt etc.) and the activated justice principle. The resulting concurrence of empathic impact and a moral principle creates a bond between them and provides the basis for practicing social justice (Hoffman, 2000).

Listen for possibility and commitment

Consider that when someone is speaking, commitment to the exchange is either present or missing. If you are listening for it, and it's present, you can draw on it. In fact, it can even lead to a change -- and improvement -- in your thinking or approach.

Radical listening is an art of catching the ball, not throwing it back. It intents on understanding what is being actually said rather than what is being worded e.g. when a new girl at school tells you that she doesn't want to come over to school new year part, what she might be telling you is she is facing difficulty fitting in and doesn't want to feel left out.

Question# 04:

Resistance is one of the strongest skills required to survive in every field of life. Theoretically speaking, it is a force which tends to oppose the existing state of an object and psychologically speaking it is our defense mechanism.

Resistance is usually considered as a general trait of involuntary clients of social work where individuals have been forced legitimately to solve their issues. In fact, there is a possibility that the agreement to social therapy is shown only at conscious level whereas the client shows resistance unconsciously since they are enjoying their comfort zone as explained by Carter. Culturally speaking, history has shown resistance as a major survival skill. It was the resistance shown by an ethnic group in subcontinent which resulted in division of subcontinent of Asia into three different countries-Pakistan, India & Bangladesh. Similarly, it was a resistance used as survival skill which granted the Black people their fundamental rights.

Respecting this resistance is part and parcel of a social work practice. It is important for a social worker to understand the causes of resistance, whether they are just and how to handle them amiably.

References:

Busby, D.M., & Garnder, B.C. (2008). How do I analyze thee? Let me count the ways: Considering empathy in couple relationships using self and partner ratings. Family Process, 47, 229-242.

Hoffman, M.L. (2000), Empathy and Moral Development- Implications for Caring and Justice. Cambridge University Press

Henegan, L. (2005), Radical listening: Less talk, more leadership

Phelps. O.W. (1942), A Theory of Business Communication, Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/view/07409168/di993669/99p0169l/0.

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