To discuss why compassion matters in modern medicine, let's begin with a definition:
"Compassion" is derived from the Latin: cum (together with) and patior (suffer) and is defined as a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate his or her suffering.
Compassion = sympathy + desire to help.
For philosophers, compassion lies at the heart of every life-enhancing relationship between two people. But what compassion looks like depends on the relationship in which it arises.
Compassion for a loved one is marked by unsettling agitation that can be intense, irrepressible and long-lasting. From a teleological point of view, this compassion serves your relatonship by motivating you to protect and nurture your beloved for as long as he or she needs.
Compassion for friends is that of an equal, bound in most cases by common interests and/or shared experiences. Unlike the self-sacrificing and potentially overwhelming compassion you feel for a loved one in pain, you can more easily compartmentalize your sympathy for a friend and desire to help. You might offer a few kind words of support and understanding to a friend in mourning. You might bring over a lasagna to a friend recovering from knee surgery. For the most part, this compassion does not rattle your routines and other relationships. Teleologically, this compassion serves the relationship by motivating you to comfort and assist with practical matters through life's rough patches.
Next: Physicians' compassion.
Hi Wendy,
Great post. Teleologically ? I'd never seen that word, and also did not know the derivation of compassion. Very informative and thought provoking.
Kirk
Posted by: Kirk | February 24, 2013 at 06:42 AM
where is blog on physicians' compassion? (i got this link from a comment following an article in NYTimes about medical training) Thanks
Posted by: Christiane Lieberman | March 05, 2013 at 04:28 PM