Abstract
The purpose of the study was to identify the role of empathy in a person’s professional activity and in his/her life in general, as well as to study the impact of empathy on the mental state of an individual. This study was formed on the basis of a systematic review of materials that identified correlates of the impact of the empathic level on the psycho-emotional state of a person, as well as explained the role of empathy for a person from the opposite aspects of its study. The results of the study were based on the levels of comparative indicators demonstrated by samples of people in communicative fields of activity, on the basis of which the relevant conclusions were drawn regarding the role of empathy in the professions of counselling and contact with people. The results showed that the role of empathy in people’s lives and activities is an important criterion, but in some cases, it determines the negative aspect of action. The technology of expressing empathy was based on several criteria depending on its type. Cognitive empathy, affective (emotional) empathy, and empathic care represented different aspects of expression, adjusting different moments in the course of a communicative action. In particular, the factors that negatively affected the manifestation and development of the respondents' empathic abilities were mainly the lack of proper experience, education, understanding, constraint or excessive focus on their own position. At the same time, it was clear that the level of empathy depends on the way an individual thinks and is an incentive for prosocial behaviour, which, in turn, is an innate, evolutionary human characteristic. According to the obtained indicators, a high level of empathy positively regulates communication relations in society, while a higher level of empathy contributes to the development of depression, psychosomatic disorders, increases anxiety and stimulates obsessive-compulsive behaviour. However, it is worth noting that the importance of the role of empathy for a psychologist is controversial and requires more attention to define its essence in detail
Keywords
communication; reconstruction; metaconsciousness; awareness of the meaning of actions; prosocial behaviour
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