Stories of empathy/support : A qualitative analysis of autobiographical narratives of relatively empathic and unempathic individuals

Pages:499-505
Pooja Bhatnagar Varma (Amity University, Noida, U.P.)

The present investigation accentuates the diverse subjective experiences of males who have showed empathy or support in relationships with others. The hypothesis was to learn about one’s ability to vicariously experience another individual’s emotions or to feel what someone else feels. Convenience sampling and snowball sampling technique used whereby the participants were asked to refer other people known to them. The technique used to collect data was narrative interviewing. The interview was conducted in group as people would resonate to each other experiences that motivate them to share it openly. Content analysis with thematic representation was formulated subsequently to dig deeper reading of the meaning of a story, what a story says about the characters involved, and what certain images might symbolize.