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Empathy: A social psychological approach
MARK. H. DAVIS
Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1996
Review by OT:LF HOLM
Davis makes a confession in the preface to his book: after more than 15 years of studying empathy he is finally beginning to feel that he has attained at least some understanding of the subject. One reason for the difficulty of grasping the subject matter and "get a good handle" on empathy, Davis states, is simply that there are so many handles to take hold of. I agree with him. Empathy is a very complex area of research. The author, however, has done a most respectable effort in presenting, describing and analysing the social-psychological aspects of the construct, also suggesting what research is needed to fill the current voids of knowledge regarding it.
The book is introduced by outlining historically the understanding of sympathy and empathy, after which contemporary views and problems associated with these are presented. Davis then goes on to outline his own Organisational Model of Empathy relating antecedents, processes, intra-personal and inter-personal outcomes to one another. This model is then employed throughout the book and used to describe the strengths and weaknesses of...