96. Compassion Fatigue
Highlights
- The Dark Side of Empathy
Key takeaways:
(* Empathy can lead to holding polarized beliefs and making it less receptive to other beliefs., * Starting with introspection can help to avoid this.)
Transcript:
Speaker 2
So in the case of people in caring professions, doctors, nurses, whatever it may be, that includes overextending, which can harm you and harm the other patients that you need to be caring for. So you're trying to fill others cups from an empty cup. Another example that I think is interesting is that empathy can actually lead you to hold polarized beliefs and make you less receptive to other beliefs. This is not really in medicine, but in the rest of society because this experience of stepping into someone else's shoes is so intimate and so personal and so powerful that it can lead you to hold convictions and maybe omit the other perspectives that exist. So this all comes from the work of Fritz Brighthope. He's a professor of cognitive science and Germanic studies at Indiana University. He's an expert on the topic of empathy and its dark side. Another thing to consider is we are all human and there are forces of psychology at work that are sometimes not rational, but reflect our cognitive abilities and how our minds work as humans. So a good example is compassion fade. Have you ever heard this term?
Speaker 1
Never, not until two seconds ago.
Speaker 2
It basically states that our ability to demonstrate compassion decreases with the number of sufferers. So it causes this psychic numbing. So it's easy to feel compassion for little Timmy that fell down the well, but when hundreds or thousands of people are impacted by a flood or the victim of some terrible tragedy, it's really difficult to wrap your mind around suffering on that scale.
Speaker 1
A good first step is starting with introspection. (Time 0:31:53)
- How to Respond to Compassion Fatigue
Key takeaways:
(* Rob recommends taking a step back and thinking about how to take care of himself, and acknowledging when he experiences compassion fatigue., * Lean into the experience of compassion fatigue, rather than avoiding it, to manage it., * Recognize where you have power and use it to set boundaries.)
Transcript:
Speaker 1
I'm going to resilience myself out of burnout, which is, of course, that, you know, my overreliance on simply having fortitude is maybe contributing to what got me here in the first place. Yeah. So just taking a step back and thinking, all right, how do I take care of myself? Absolutely. And then I think you were alluding to lean into this. When you notice this, lean into it. Don't discount it. Don't need to be alarmed about it, but don't avoid it. And acknowledging that this is happening. And how do I have agency in managing this here?
Speaker 2
I love that you mention agency, Rob, because burnout and compassion fatigue are correlated and intertwined. So we know that lack of autonomy and feeling like the world is outside of your control is a big factor in burnout. So acknowledging the potential for burnout when you experience compassion fatigue is important. And think about how can I set boundaries? What can I control in this situation that is causing me to feel unwell? Recognize where you have power, especially if you're in a position of power. (Time 0:35:32)