Social Worker Sympathy Essay

Social workers have been put on the bleeding heart liberal totem for years. They have been described as to compassionate, to emotional, to slow to act, and to sympathetic. While other individuals have described social workers as heartless and too quick to act. Which is an actual social worker supposed to be? In reality social workers are individuals, who do not fit in a certain type of stereotype that people assume they should. There are social workers who do fit the public’s expectations, but most do not. The only thing that social workers should have in empathy, and it should not be confused with sympathy. Empathy according to Webster’s Dictionary is, “the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions.” As a future social worker, it is important to be able to have the trait, and be able to use it in clinical situations. Empathy is a unique characteristic. It allows individuals so understand other individuals without getting emotionally involved in the process. It gives a chance for understanding individuals in a new level that most people do not. Empathy allows social workers to care without getting too involved in client’s lives. Clients will be able to get the impression that the social workers care without the social worker
There has been cases that social workers get to emotionally involved, and it could lead to sympathy. Sympathy according to Webster’s Dictionary is “the feeling that you care about and are sorry about someone else's trouble, grief, misfortune, etc.” Sympathy differs for empathy because it crosses a personal level of caring and getting emotionally involved. Social workers who use sympathy involve their emotions, and that could be detrimental to the client. Clients need a safe place to go for treatment and understanding. A social worker who is putting their emotional thoughts and wellbeing before the client is a disservice to the