Empathy in care work

Abstract

Empathy is widely recognised as fundamental to care work, professional ethics, and well-being promotion. This chapter explores the roles of empathy in the work of welfare professionals, particularly in eldercare, focusing on phenomenological and ethical perspectives. While empathy can facilitate deeper understanding, enhance communication, and foster trust, it also has potential downsides, including emotional exhaustion and bias. In addition, psychological and social factors can hinder empathy. The chapter examines these complexities, illustrating how empathy can both enhance and hinder ethical care work. Using qualitative data from the “Elderly Well-Being and Alcohol: A Tricky Cocktail” project in Denmark, we demonstrate empathy’s role in professional caregiving. We argue that empathy is indispensable but must be supplemented with metacognition, emotional awareness, and flexible perspective-taking to avoid its pitfalls. The chapter advocates for a nuanced approach, balancing empathy’s benefits with strategies to mitigate its risks, thereby promoting ethically sound and sustainable care work. Ultimately, understanding empathy’s manifold nature is crucial for fostering well-being competence among care professionals.</p