Teaching Theological Empathy to Distance Learners of Intercultural Spiritual Care

What is empathy, and why is it essential to intercultural spiritual care? I posit that intercultural spiritual care requires theological empathy—the reflexive capacity to imagine how another’s emotions generate a lived theology or orienting system that ‘makes sense’ given their family and cultural c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pastoral psychology 2018-10, Vol.67 (5), p.461-474
Main Author: Doehring, Carrie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Chaplains
Clinical Psychology
Cross Cultural Psychology
Cultural factors
Distance learning
Emotional regulation
Emotions
Empathy
Hospice care
Intercultural communication
Literacy
Pastoral counseling
Psychology
Reflexivity
Religious leaders
Religious Studies
Sociology
Spirituality
Teaching
Theological schools
Theology
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Summary:What is empathy, and why is it essential to intercultural spiritual care? I posit that intercultural spiritual care requires theological empathy—the reflexive capacity to imagine how another’s emotions generate a lived theology or orienting system that ‘makes sense’ given their family and cultural contexts. Can theological empathy be taught in distance learning? If so, how? What kind of outcome measures do we need to assess clinical and theological empathy in religious leaders and chaplains? I explore these questions by first drawing upon psychological research on empathy. I describe the shifting role of empathy within the goals of pastoral and spiritual care. I elaborate a definition of intercultural, spiritually oriented theological empathy that includes theological literacy and reflexivity and the use of spiritual practices in emotional regulation. I describe and illustrate how distance learning offers unique opportunities for modeling and assessing intercultural empathic skills in spiritual care.
ISSN:0031-2789
1573-6679
DOI:10.1007/s11089-018-0812-6