Virtual Empathy : The added value of Virtual Reality in Psychotherapy
Nicole Nascivera, Yari Mirko Alfano, Tilde Annunziato, Martina Messina, Vittoria Silviana Iorio, Valeria Cioffi, Raffaele Sperandeo, Margherita Rosato, Teresa Longobardi, Nelson Mauro Maldonato · 2018
Several studies investigate empathy as the ability to understand and share a person's emotional states. Recent researches explore phenomenological peculiarity of empathy. The present work is a review of existing scientific literature about the construct of empathy, paying specific attention to new methods to explore it. Particularly, the study presents a new form of measurement: the virtual reality (VR). This work proposes a hypothesis of research, in order to test the possibility to increase empathy, using VR in subjects with a diagnosis of Personality Disorder (Antisocial, or Narcissist). The proposal includes the possibility for psychotherapist to share a series of emotional experiences with the patient, through a mobile app linked to multiple VR viewers.