Empathy Pathways: A View from Music Therapy - Hardcover

by Andeline Dos Santos (Author)

Many descriptions of empathy revolve around sharing in and understanding another person's emotions. One separate person gains access to the emotional world of another. An entire worldview holds up this idea. It is individualistic and affirms the possibility of access to other people's "inner world." Can we really see inside another, though? And are we discrete, separate selves? How can we best grapple with these questions in the field of music therapy? In response, this book offers four empathy pathways. Two are situated in a constituent approach (that prioritises discrete individuals who then enter into relationships with one another) and two are located in relational approaches (that acknowledge the foundational reality of relationships themselves). By understanding empathy more fully, music therapists, teachers and researchers can engage in ways that are congruent with diverse worldviews and ways of being. Examples used in the book are from active and receptive music therapy approaches as well as from community and clinical contexts, so as to provide clear links to practice.

This book will be a valuable resource for academics and postgraduate students within music therapy and allied fields including art therapy, drama therapy, dance/movement therapy, psychology, counselling, occupational therapy and social development studies.

Back Jacket

"Empathy is a key element in therapeutic relationships. Andeline dos Santos draws on her experience as a music therapist and develops new insights into the nature of empathy. Proposing four different empathy pathways, dos Santos provides music therapists as well as allied professionals new ways of reflecting upon their practice. With this book dos Santos has given a significant contribution to music therapy theory and literature. A very important and highly recommended text."

--- Even Ruud, Professor, University of Oslo and the Norwegian Academy of Music, Norway

"The empathy music therapists demonstrate when they listen, music together, and share time with people is finally explained in this comprehensive text. Dos Santos offers pathways to illuminate the beliefs and assumptions we bring to practice and leads us to better informed decisions about how we might encounter others. Whether through the more traditional intention of sharing and understanding another's emotions, or more critical, co-constructed positions, this text significantly expands what we might consider."

--- Katrina McFerran, Professor, University of Melbourne, Australia

"It's rare for an author to shift our foundational understanding of a concept as commonly evoked as empathy--which is surprisingly elusive and requires multiple pathways. Empathy Pathways supports potential shifts in personal reflection, scholarly discourse, and clinical practice. This book helps influence ideas of being, relating, and doing. I will be returning to it often to support my passions of preparing students and reimagining the world around me through a holistic and critical lens."

--- Hakeem Leonard, Professor, Shenandoah University, USA

Many descriptions of empathy emphasise sharing in and understanding another person's emotions. Can we really see "inside" another separate individual, though? What if we're already relationally interconnected? How can we best grapple with these questions in the field of music therapy? In response, this book offers four empathy pathways with examples drawn from clinical and community contexts.

Andeline dos Santos is a registered music therapist and senior lecturer at the School of the Arts, University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Author Biography

Andeline dos Santos is a registered music therapist, senior lecturer and research coordinator for the School of the Arts at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.