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REVIEW ARTICLE

A new paradigm: Edith Stein’s empathy and expert knowledge in psychosomatic conditions

Simon Wharne1*
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1 New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
JCBP, 025150029 https://doi.org/10.36922/JCBP025150029
Received: 9 April 2025 | Revised: 22 May 2025 | Accepted: 4 June 2025 | Published online: 26 June 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Researchers in the developing science of psychology initially adopted a naïve realist stance. In recent years, there has been a shift toward more nuanced positions, accompanied by new requirements in professional ethical codes. These developments have been influenced by social movements and associated changes in power dynamics within health, education, and social welfare. Changing views in the philosophies that underpin social science, along with the rise of social media, are also contributing factors. Psychological researchers have worked to understand the human condition by proposing and testing their models. However, new guidelines now require that they operate within the limits of their expertise. If they are to conduct research on a group of people who suffer from a specific health condition, they must include individuals affected by that condition as stakeholders. This represents a shift in which the expert’s ability to know what is going on in the mind of another person is increasingly questioned. The phenomenon of psychosomatic illness has long prompted tensions in the relationship between expert professionals and those who are suffering. However, there is now a further undervaluing of expert knowledge, alongside the growing expectation that individuals’ beliefs about their own suffering are just as valid as anyone else’s. Researchers must adopt a more empathetic stance, such as the one described by Edith Stein. Practitioners will need support in responding to these evolving expectations. Some examples of successful adaptations to these changes include the concept of neurodiversity and the recovery philosophy.

Keywords
Psychosomatics
Research ethics
Knowledge construction
Empathy
Phenomenological theory
Edith Stein
Recovery model
Post-colonial studies
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The author declares no conflicts of interest.
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Journal of Clinical and Basic Psychosomatics, Electronic ISSN: 2972-4414 Print ISSN: 3060-8562, Published by AccScience Publishing
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