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The case for mindfulness‐based approaches in the cultivation of empathy: Does nonjudgmental, present‐moment awareness increase capacity for perspective‐taking and empathic concern?
Author(s) -
BlockLerner Jennifer,
Adair Carrie,
Plumb Jennifer C.,
Rhatigan Deborah L.,
Orsillo Susan M.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-0606.2007.00034.x
Subject(s) - empathy , mindfulness , psychological intervention , perspective (graphical) , perspective taking , empathic concern , psychology , extant taxon , interpersonal communication , psychotherapist , variety (cybernetics) , intervention (counseling) , clinical psychology , social psychology , psychiatry , artificial intelligence , evolutionary biology , computer science , biology
Empathic responding, most notably perspective‐taking and empathic concern, has important implications for interpersonal functioning. While empathy training approaches have received some support for a variety of populations, few extant interventions have targeted empathic responding in couples. Mindfulness‐ and acceptance‐based behavioral approaches, for couples as a unit and/or for individual family members/partners, are proposed as an adjunct to empathy training interventions. Preliminary findings suggest that the viability of these interventions for increasing empathic responding should be further investigated, and specific suggestions for this line of research are offered.