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Empathy in forensic evaluations: a systematic reconsideration.

Stanley L Brodsky1, Jennifer Kelly Wilson

  • 1Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Box 870348, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0348, USA. sbrodsky@bama.ua.edu

Behavioral Sciences & the Law
|November 29, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Forensic evaluators can ethically use moderate empathy to build rapport and improve assessment accuracy. Avoiding empathy may lead to biased results, suggesting its careful use is beneficial.

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Area of Science:

  • Forensic Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Legal Psychology

Background:

  • Reexamination of Shuman's seminal paper on empathy in forensic evaluations.
  • Shuman's original argument against empathy, citing the risk of perceived therapeutic relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To reconsider the role of empathy in forensic assessments.
  • To assert that moderate empathy can be a valuable tool for forensic professionals.

Main Methods:

  • Reanalysis of existing arguments regarding empathy in forensic evaluations.
  • Theoretical discussion on the impact of examiner empathy on assessment outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Actively avoiding empathy may result in a cold examiner demeanor, potentially biasing assessments.
  • Moderate empathy can be integrated as a component of rapport-building.

Conclusions:

  • Ethical forensic professionals can utilize moderate empathy as a tool for effective assessments.
  • Empathy should be viewed as a supplement to, not a component of, subjectivity or pseudotherapy.