Empathic Patterns in Complex Discourse

Abstract

Successful functioning at organizational settings in a complex, shifting and vague era, such as the Covid- 19 pandemic, requires soft skills. The present study attempts to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on empathy - an essential 21st century soft skill - by honing on the explicit and expressive aspects of empathic competencies. In accordance with our aim to identify, transcribe and demonstrate empathic patterns in complex interactions in the field of education, we conducted a collaborative qualitative analysis of videotaped simulations of emotionally charged interactions, which occur in school and other educational settings. This led to the development of the Empathic Patterns in Interpersonal Communication (EPIC) conceptual model addressing cognitive, emotional and behavioral elements of empathy. The importance of EPIC, which represents an initial step in conceptualizing empathic patterns, is that it could be implemented as a practical tool that encourages effective communication among students and teachers.