communication assgnmt

  

Communication Assignment

PTAS 103 Administrative Aspects

February 23, 2010

Jill Reiner

Definition(s) of empathy:

“To show empathy is to identify with another's feelings. It is to emotionally put yourself in the place of another.” ¹

^“1.            the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.

2.            the imaginative ascribing to an object, as a natural object or work of art, feelings or attitudes present in oneself: By means of empathy, a great painting becomes a mirror of the self.” ²

“ Marshall Rosenberg compared it to surfing. When you ride the wave, the thrill is so exhilarating that you forget everything else. You live in the moment when nothing else matters, so intent on riding the wave perfectly that you and the wave become one. Pain and worry disappear, replaced by euphoria, akin to flow. Similarly, when giving empathy, you want to strive for this kind of total presence for the person you are listening to. Empathy, I would say is presence. Pure presence to what is alive in a person at this moment, bringing nothing in from the past. The more you know a person, the harder empathy is. The more you have studied psychology, the harder empathy really is. Because you can bring no thinking in from the past. If you surf, you'd be better at empathy because you will have built into your body what it is about. Being present and getting in with the energy that is coming through you in the present. It is not a mental understanding. In empathy, you don't speak at all. You speak with the eyes. You speak with the body. If you say any words at all, it's because you are not sure you are with the person. So you may say some words. But the words are not empathy. Empathy is when the other person feels the connection to with what's alive in you."³

Definition (s) of sympathy:

“ 1: an affinity, association, or relationship between persons or things wherein whatever affects one similarly affects the other b: mutual or parallel susceptibility or a condition brought about by it c: unity or harmony in action or effect.

2 a: inclination to think or feel alike: emotional or intellectual accord. B: feeling of loyalty: tendency to favor or support.

3 a: the act or capacity of entering into or sharing the feelings or interests of another b: the feeling or mental state brought about by such sensitivity.

4: the correlation existing between bodies capable of communicating their vibration energy to one another through some medium.”⁴

Definition (s) of aggressive communication style:

“…communication style in which you stand up for your rights but you violate the rights of others.”⁵

“…aggressive communication is a style in which individuals express their feelings and opinions and advocate for their needs in a way that violates the rights of others.”⁶

Definition (s) of assertive commuication:

“…assertive communication is a style in which individuals clearly state their opinions and feelings, and firmly advocate for their rights and needs without violating the rights of others. Assertive communication is born of high self-esteem. These individuals value themselves, their time, and their emotional, spiritual, and physical needs and are strong advocates for themselves while being very respectful of the rights of others.”⁷

“…Assertive communication revolves around mutual respect — giving and getting respect. Assertiveness shows self-respect because it means that you stand up for your personal rights, protect your self-interests and express your feelings, needs and ideas in a way that is honest and direct.”⁸

Comparison of empathy and sympathy

Both empathy and sympathy share a few qualities. To be empathetic and sympathetic, one must be able to understand feelings and emotions. Empathy and sympathy also both require an ability to intuitively understand cause and effect. For example, if a hammer hits me in the head, I assume it will hurt. If you have been hit in the head with a hammer, I can use my knowledge of what a hammer is and how sensitive a head is and infer that it will hurt pretty badly. When I say ouch and squint as you tell me the story, that is empathy. In my example from the previous assignment, I used my sister’s current situation as an example. When she shares about her headaches from going through divorce and I tell her I am sorry, I empathize. When I too have had the headaches, I sympathize, because we both actually had the same thing. Empathy is the feeling, and sympathy is acting on the empathy.

Comparison of assertive and aggressive communication styles

Assertive and aggressive communication is similar in that they both are about speaking up for your rights. However, they are contradictory ways of doing so. In assertive communication, you speak up for your rights, while maintaining and respecting the rights of others. In aggressive communication, you speak up for your rights, while violating the rights of others.

Post class discussion

I was absent on the day this subject was discussed in class. So I brought this up to many different people to see what their definitions are. Most people I spoke with thought sympathy was “feeling sorry for someone”, in a negative way. Almost as if they didn’t want anyone’s sympathy, or anyone’s pity. It was more about a loss of pride, like the other person would be looking down on them if they were giving them their sympathy.

Most people thought empathy was feeling for another’s person tough situation. Aggressive communication was an interesting one as that not many people thought they were ever aggressive communicators. They said they are “just colorful”, “playful” or “full of personality.” They described aggressive communication as loud, angry yelling, name calling with physical confrontation. They weren’t as sure about assertive communication. Most agreed that it was “stating the facts”. After discussing the communication styles, I may misunderstand sympathy. In my example, I thought it was going from feeling to action. Now, I understand it is less of action as it is standing with someone in his or her feelings or beliefs. Close to agreement of feelings and beliefs.

How this relates to Physical Therapist Assistant Roles and Responsibilities

The PTA must be able to empathize with each patient. Understanding a patient’s pain and consequential hardships affecting their ADL is crucial to optimizing their treatment plan and helping the patient to regain a sense of self-esteem and independence. PTA must also be able to sympathize when needed. If a patients family needs a sympathetic supporter/advocate to the insurance company, that may be the PTA. It’s also important to be able to communicate effectively, respectfully, and directly while respecting others rights. Overly aggressive communication implies a lack of sensitivity, caring, empathy, sympathy, respect, and overall maturity. The patient is already in a heightened state of vulnerability; part of the PTA’s job is to make the patient feel comfortable, physically, and emotionally.

Examples from previous assignment:

Empathy:

“There but for the grace of God, go I.”

There are many people with many problems. It’s hard for me to pick one situation. The latest large-scale empathetic situation is the devastation in Haiti. When I see the pictures and hear the stories of a whole country destroyed and a fragile culture in ruins, my eyes burn and swell up, my heart is heavy and my spirit is cracked. I feel sad. I can imagine the sense of overwhelming helplessness they must feel. The people of Haiti have struggled for the last hundred years through racial oppression, corruption, and global prejudice to tweak out a meager life at best. I wish I could do more. Realistically speaking, all I can do right now is continue to be empathetic by keeping them in my thoughts and prayers.

Empathy to sympathy:

Another, more common empathetic situation is my sister’s current life. She turned 40 last weekend. She is going through a turbulent divorce, working two jobs, and trying to keep it all together. My empathy for her day to day hardships have pushed me into feeling sympathetic to her situation. I show my sympathetic solidarity by taking care of her children and pets as often as I can. My son and I get together with her son for a weekly family dinner/movie night to continue a sense of family and stability during this chaotic time.

Sympathy to assertion:

The empathy I felt for my sister’s situation prompted me to act, which caused my sympathy. My sympathy caused me to act in an assertive manner. My sister shared her pain about her marriage and her loss of family for her children. She felt she could handle her own loss appropriately. However, her children’s sense of family kept her in a problematic marriage too long. So we decided to create a broader sense of family with extended family members. We had an open realistic dialogue and decided upon a tag team approach to helping each other out. She comfortably expressed what she felt, what she needed, and asked if I could do that for her. And vice versa. It sounds like a complex situation, but it works out because we are able to openly communicate in a respectful manner.

Aggression:

Fortunately, I’m not involved in many aggressive situations. Most people come into my workplace, Cardinal Fitness, in a good focused mood. I see them when its their “me” time, for the most part. After working out for 1-2 hours, most are riding their endorphin high. I stay away from aggressive conversations. It’s rare that people approach me in that way. The last aggressive interaction I had was about 3 months ago at work. It was an icy Saturday morning and my dog ran out as I was warming up my car. He was joyous and playful, running up and down my street as fast as he could. It was really cute and really inconvenient. His escapade made me ten minutes late for work. I texted my coworker to let her know I was going to be about ten minutes late. As I walked thru the lobby, with my key still in the lock, she verbally tore into me. She was yelling, walking, and pacing around the club. I just stood there, staring at her looking like a crazy woman. I slowly moved behind my desk while letting her vent. When she seemed out of steam, I did my job duties. When my GM asked what happened that morning, I stated the facts. After that incident I stayed far away from her. She was fired about a month later.  

Reference Page

1.  Hein S. Empathy. Emotional intelligience web site. 2010. Available at:
http://EQI.org/ . Accessed February 22, 2010.

2.   Dictionary.com. Empathy. Source location: Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/empathy. Available at: http://dictionary.reference.com . Accessed February 22, 2010.

3.  Hsi Yen D. Empathy and Surfing, an interview transcript with Marchall Rosenberg. The Center for Nonviolent Communication web site. 2010. Available at: http://wwww.noogenesis.com/nvc/surf_nvc.html . Accessed February 22, 2010.

5.  Heffner, C.L. Communication styles. CEDA Meta-Profession Project. CEDANET website. 2010. Available at: http://www.cedanet.com/meta/communication_styles.html . Accessed February 22, 2010.

6 & 7.  Benedict, C. Assertiveness and the four styles of Communication. Serenity Online Therapy web site. 2010. Available at:
http://serenityonlinetherapy.com/assertiveness.htm#AGGRESSIVE_COMMUNICATION . Accessed February 22, 2010.

8.  Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER).

Being assertive: Reduce stress and communicate better through assertiveness. Riverside web site. 2007. Available at:
http://www.riversideonline.com/health_reference/Working-Life/SR00042.cfm . Accessed February 22, 2010.