| Empathy has been touted as one of the most used concepts within psychotherapy. However, how this term has developed has not been fully understood. It is hypothesized that historical development of empathy is influenced by the time in which a certain theory of psychotherapy developed. As a new theory began, it borrowed the conceptualization of empathy from the predominant theory at that time. Each theory's understanding of empathy was then developed from this initial understanding. Therefore, a considerable overlap can be seen. However, it is postulated that a distinct pattern of development may be seen within each psychotherapy. An inquiry into the understanding of the concept of empathy from these theoretical orientations is undertaken to describe how the historical development of this term and the time of birth of these therapeutic modalities has affected each theory's understanding of empathy. |
