Case Study: Empathy Gap Analysis in Aboriginal Nursing Curriculum

This essay delves into the concept of empathy gaps within the context of nursing care for Aboriginal individuals, drawing upon a case study to illustrate the complexities of communication and cultural safety. The assignment analyzes the behavioral aspects of empathy gaps, differentiating between 'hot-to-cold' and 'cold-to-hot' scenarios, and their impact on decision-making. The essay examines the Paul case study, highlighting how past experiences of rejection and trauma can influence an individual's interactions and perceptions. Furthermore, it explores the significance of communication strategies, offering an empathetic approach to connect with individuals facing empathy gaps. The essay emphasizes the need for healthcare professionals to listen, verify facts, communicate in a kind manner, and provide direction to foster a supportive environment. References from scholarly articles support the analysis, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of empathy gaps and their implications in healthcare, particularly within the context of Aboriginal nursing.

Aboriginals and the Nursing
Curriculum
A Case Study Analysis

Empathy Gap
• Empathy gap is referred to as a behavioural issue.
• When a person underestimate the situation of another and experiences of another person, by
being rude and judgemental, that can be referred as an example of empathy gap.
• The human behaviour is very unpredictable and it is often driven by visceral factors.
• The visceral factors are the fervent emotions and the physical factors affecting a person and
influencing his or her state of mind.
• According to the psychologists, the human behaviour is tended to get influenced by the
visceral factors, such as, hunger, anger, pain, happiness, and the like, and such factors affects
the behaviour of actor, and also influence upon their decision making power (Bruneau, Cikara,
and Saxe. 2015).
• Empathy gap is usually a short term behavioural aspect. However, if a person is suffering from
a long term depression or anxiety issues, then it can affect their decision making process and
their bee3haavioural attributes and processes towards others.

Empathy Gap
• There are essentially two forms of empathy gaps.
• Hot- to- Cold Manner: This refers to the situation, when a person,
under the influence of the visceral factors, that is, the hot state, behave
in a way that is influence by the hot state or the visceral state of mind.
• Cold- to- Hot Manner: This happens when a person is much calm and
composed, suddenly, faces a heated situation, and therefore, because
of his or her unpreparedness for such a heated situation, is unable to
deal with the situation (Bohns, and Flynn. 2015).

The Paul Case Study
• The boy presented in the case study has explained him as a typical teen-age, who was involved
in the typical teen age stuff.
• Paul had a bad childhood and a teen age experience and his growing up had been very
depressing.
• Paul had a very bad relationship with his parents, especially with his father, and his relationship
with his parents can be termed as of a conflict and rebellion relationship.
• He used to get beaten by his father, upon wrong doings, while his father should have taught him
how to conduct oneself.
• Paul had always felt rejected by his parents.
• He also had a bad relationship with his mother and he was driven out of his home, when his
mother came across the knowledge of his girlfriend getting pregnant by him.
• His mother should have understood him the consequences of such a situation, and should have
talked to him, instead, he was driven out of home.

The Paul Case Study
• Paul felt rejected by his friends as well. After being homeless, he was staying with some of his
friends, and even there, Paul felt rejected.
• He was detested by his friends, and instead of taking to him, and talking him out of his
situations, everyone disrespected him.
• Paul had felt rejected all his life, and he was even ostracised by his family.
• According to Paul, his mother who was supposed to love him, unconditionally, and take care of
him, did not pay any kind of attention or heed to him, and had driven him out of home, when he
need his mother the most.
• According to Paul, the pregnant situation that had happened to him had changed his life entirely.
He also mentioned, that he had always been faced with such situations all through his childhood.
• Therefore, it can be said, such incidents that had happened to him had made him do the drugs
and all the bad habits that he had been involved into.
• Also, such situations had changed Paul’s take or viewpoints towards others and the world.

Empathy Gap and Communication
• The empathy gap as mentioned before, is the behavioural issue or
aspect of a person.
• A person faced with empathy gaps from people, is likely to get
depressed and suffering from inferiority complex.
• Such people often lack self- confidence and loses his or her own voice.
• Such people are supposed to be talked to and be heard.
• To reach and to connect to such people, a communication strategy
must be acquired (Jeffrey. 2017).

Communication Strategies:
• The communication strategy is regarded as an umbrella term that
provides the understanding of the way to talk to person or a group.
This includes public communication, advertising, and the management
of the communication. The communication strategy is a field which is
still developing as the patterns of lives are changing, and with a
globalized and culturally assimilated world, people are facing with
newer situations and problems each day (Simpson. 2015).

Communication Strategies:
• First the person should be given a chance to talk, where he can tell and explain everything
that are bothering him. The person needs an empathetic voice.
• Secondly, the accuracy of the facts are also to be verified, and there upon, an analysis must
be made upon the situation.
• Thirdly, the person must be spoken in a very soft and kind manner. Before, telling him the
areas where he went wrong, it is important to tell him the situations, where he was right.
• Fourthly, he must be told that in certain areas he could have been dealt with the situation
differently, and the consequence of the activities that he had been involved into must be
shown him in a very subtle manner (Hornsey, Harris, and Fielding. 2018).
• Lastly, the person is to be told how to deal with his present situation. He must be given a
perspective and a helping hand, and he must be provided with a direction, where he can do
something with his life.

References:
Hornsey, M.J., Harris, E.A. and Fielding, K.S., 2018. The psychological roots of anti-
vaccination attitudes: A 24-nation investigation. Health Psychology, 37(4), p.307.
Simpson, C., 2015. Science of coercion: Communication research & psychological
warfare, 1945–1960 (Vol. 13). Open Road Media.
Bohns, V.K. and Flynn, F.J., 2015. Empathy Gaps Between Helpers and Help‐Seekers:
Implications for Cooperation. Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences:
An Interdisciplinary, Searchable, and Linkable Resource, pp.1-15.
Bruneau, E.G., Cikara, M. and Saxe, R., 2015. Minding the gap: Narrative descriptions
about mental states attenuate parochial empathy. PloS one, 10(10), p.e0140838.
Jeffrey, D., 2017. Communicating with a human voice: developing a relational model
of empathy. JR Coll Physicians Edinb, 47(3), pp.266-270.