Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education 8:2 2003
© 2003 Oxford University Press
Endnote |
Shielding Yourself From the Perils of Empathy: The Case of Sign Language Interpreters
Cross-cultural exchanges between deaf and hearing persons are replete with unintentional misunderstandings and even purposeful acts of oppression. Sign language interpreters routinely bear witness to the negative emotional fallout of these dynamics on the Deaf consumer. It is largely inevitablea psychological reflexto experience some degree of empathic pain. One must achieve a healthy balance of empathizing enough while shielding oneself from its perils. I describe the psychological effects of juxtaposed extremes of affect, projective identification, and the dual nature of empathy.
Correspondence should be sent to Michael A. Harvey, 14 Vernon St., Suite 304, Framingham, MA 01701 (e-mail: mharvey2000{at}earthlink.net
Received April 16, 2001; revised May 29, 2002; accepted June 5, 2002