pt 1
I think Jamison is practicing empathy here by putting herself in the Morgellons patients shoes. I think that due to her past personal experience with the topic she is more than qualified to do so. Jamison relates her experiences of actually having a bug growing under her skin and the insanity it caused her to feel to the Morgellons patients’ feeling of insanity for feeling a bug under their skin but being told they are crazy. Jamisons way of practicing empathy differs from Price’s view of empathy. Price believes that empathy is dangerous to be practiced and instead should practice perspective taking, “thinking carefully about a person’s life and critically analyzing how they think, and we can update or refine our understanding as new information comes in.” When presented with an option of whether or not to use empathy I believe Jamison does a good job using empathy to not judge these people, however Jamison does not use empathy to relate to these people as she writes she does not know what it feels like to have Morgellons.
pt 2
What does she wants us to know about empathy and the way she practices it or fails in practicing it?
I think that Jamison would like us to know that she is attempting empathy but is struggling due to her disbelief in the disease as a whole. This quote sticks out to me about her back and forth with the subject:
“Is it wrong to call it empathy when you trust the fact of suffering, but not the source?”
Throughout this whole essay, it is very apparent that Jamison feels sympathy for these people, never once does she suggest that these people are frauds for proclaiming their pain. Throughout this reading there is one thing that is really apparent. These people are in pain. Between the scars, the bleeding, the inspecting and everything else, these people are in pain, I think that is something we can all emphasize with. However the ’cause’ of this pain on the other hand is much harder to sympathize and empathize with. Without proof of any cause, empathy becomes harder and this is something Jamison makes clear.
Is it considered empathy when you empathize with part of someones struggles?
