Empathy: a therapeutic phenomenon in nursing care

Summary Although numerous definitions have been presented and several attempts have been made to operationalize the concept of empathy, no theoretical framework exists that addresses the concept in depth. This paper focuses on the concept of empathy as it is presented in the literature by comparing the different theoretical and operational approaches pertaining to the concept. A theoretical definition of the concept of empathy is developed. The appropriateness of the different definitions of empathy will be considered in terms of their pragmatic adequacy for nursing.