Abstract
Purpose: This study promotes the performance of a written task called role lettering among nursing students, and then examines the differences related to empathy by means of the characteristics of imagination activity and variety of descriptions.
Method: Targeting 118 (first study) and 75 nursing students (second study), we provided a written task in which they described an imaginary dialogue between a patient and a nurse, and measured empathy using a multidimensional empathy scale before and after the task. We created groups for high (H) and low levels (L) of affinity to imagination activity, as well as large and little groups according to the variety of descriptions.
Results: A decrease in total empathy score and the “emotional susceptibility” factor, were observed in the H group, and an increase in “other-orientated emotional reactivity” in the L group. A certain level of descriptive variety was observed with higher levels of other-orientated emotion. The “emotional susceptibility” decreased in the group with little descriptive variety. A decrease of self-orientated emotion was shown irrespective of the breadth of description. Moreover, the cognitive aspect of empathy did not change.
Discussion: In the group with little descriptive variety, the decrease in empathy was understood as an expression of absence of confidence, stress-coping, or reality-based presence of mind. It was suggested that the framework of the role lettering technique possibly worked supportively for the students in the L group, who were thought as weak in imagination so they could more easily feel the emotion of another person. Additionally, even if a rich description was not possible, it was confirmed that the result of expressing a distinction between oneself and others could be observed.
