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Compassionat Technology Summary
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1Compassionate Technology Article Summary
Institution: University of Twente
Study: Master Positive Clinical Psychology and Technology
Study period: Academic year 2022/2023, 2A (February)
, 2
Compassionate Technology Articles Summary
The definition of compassion (Strauss et al., 2016)
Strauss et al. (2016) pose that there is a lack of consensus regarding the definition of
compassion. In their introduction, they give a few of the conceptualizations of compassion:
Kanov’s conceptualization consists of three facets noticing, feeling and responding.
Gilbert conceptualizes compassion as containing six attributes, namely sensitivity,
sympathy, empathy, motivation/caring, distress tolerance and non-judgement. Moving
on, Gilbert and the Dalai Lama agree that compassion is not only felt for close others,
but also for those we do not know.
Wispe conceptualizes compassion for others not only as being aware of and moved by
suffering and wanting to help but also as including the ability to adopt a non-
judgmental stance towards others and to tolerate one's distress when faced with other
people’s suffering.
Neff developed a conceptualization of self-compassion, which is the compassion
directed inward towards the self. Three principal components are at play: kindness,
mindfulness and common humanity. Recent research has found that associations
between self-compassion and other-focused compassion may be weak, or even non-
existent for some populations.
As a result of the lacking consensus, the authors propose a new comprehensive working
definition of compassion. They see compassion as a cognitive, affective, and behavioural
process consisting of the following five elements that refer to both self and other-compassion:
1. Recognizing suffering
2. Understanding the universality of suffering in human experience
3. Feeling empathy for the person suffering and connecting with the distress (emotional
resonance)
4. Tolerating uncomfortable feelings aroused in response to the suffering person (e.g.
distress, anger, fear) so remaining open to and accepting of the person suffering
5. Motivation to act/acting to alleviate suffering.
The authors also identify related, but different, constructs of compassion:
Empathy – Empathy is seen as an essential element of compassion. Even so,
compassion has additional components over and above empathy. In particular, a
desire to act or acting to alleviate suffering is seen as a core feature of compassion
but not empathy. Moreover, empathy can be felt regarding any emotions, whereas
compassion is solely directed at suffering.
Pity – Despite having similarities to compassion, pity does not require an inclination
to help. On the contrary, some writers have argued that pity implies that one sees
someone as unworthy of help or at least involves showing condescension towards
sufferers.
Kindness – Compassion includes elements beyond kindness (e.g. recognizing and
being touched by suffering). All the while, kindness includes elements beyond
compassion, as kindness is not only linked to suffering (e.g. remembering someone's
, 3
birthday is kind but not compassionate). Additionally, compassion may not always
involve kindness at the moment (e.g. taking a ‘tough love’ approach may be
compassionate but not kind).
Based on their working definition, the authors evaluate questionnaires aimed at measuring
compassing and conclude that no scale exists that comprehensively measures compassion and
provides scores with acceptable levels of reliability and validity. The strongest measures
identified were Neff's (2003) Self-Compassion Scale and Hacker's (2008) Relational
Compassion Scale, but neither of these measures capture each of the five elements in their
definition.
A scoping review about delivering compassionate care digitally (Kemp et al., 2020)
Utilizing a scoping review, Kemp et al. (2020) answer the question regarding what is known
about the suitability of these technologies for facilitating or enhancing compassionate care
and whether any evidence can guide best practices for use of these technologies.
The relevance of compassion in mental health care is shown by pointing out the greater
perceived quality of care, greater therapeutic alliance and increased openness of the patient as
a result of compassion. They pinpointed six categories of digital intersections with
compassion (and their examples):
1. Awareness of suffering (Developing an awareness of one’s suffering through the use
of digital technology) For example, experiences shared via digital technology
increase awareness of one’s suffering.
2. Mediated response (Utilizing digital technology to mediate or influence one’s
response to suffering)
3. Online intervention (Responding to suffering through an online intervention) For
example, online therapy programs, virtual reality programs to portray lived
experiences, e-mail and instant messaging to respond to patient suffering and
videoconferencing for telemedicine.
4. Training and coaching (Digital tools used to increase health professional expertise or
patient knowledge to ensure the delivery of compassionate care) For example,
virtual reality to help professionals understand psychosis and dementia and teaching
patients the skills and importance of mindfulness through mood tracking, tips for
overall well-being, and scheduled reminders to encourage session completion.
5. Compassion-oriented technologies (Digital technologies created specifically to assist
in or facilitate the delivery of compassionate care) For example, technologies that
support compassionate care and are used by health professionals and/or patients,
including uses such as shared gaming time between health professionals and patients
to facilitate bonding time, mental health apps and patient portals.
6. Artificial emotional intelligence (Artificial intelligence used to facilitate
compassionate interactions with patients) For example, through the use of a
humanoid animated agent as part of a computerized CBT program.
7. Detraction from compassionate care Three articles pointed out concerns regarding
non-responses from professionals and the view that relationships equivalent to those
formed in person simply could not be achieved through the use of digital technology.
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