In professional jobs dealing with medicine or humans in general such as physicians, clinical psychologists or physiotherapists, the main question is what degree of empathy or compassion, for example, should a doctor have towards his/her patients? There is a lot of speculation about this. Some people say that there is no time for empathy and that one should simply stick to the available facts. For example, GPs who do not specify in a certain area typically see a multitude of patients per day, so they only have a specific time in which they can interact with their patients. As a result, some believe a set time frame should be used to explain test results or why patients came in the first place. Doctors and professionals working with humans in general should show empathy towards their patients. Some research suggests going beyond just telling patients the facts and instead having empathy for them. According to Daniel Goleman (2013), author of Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence, explains that doctors prosecuted for misconduct in the United States "generally do not commit more medical errors than those who are not prosecuted." The main difference… often lies in the content of the doctor-patient relationship. It turns out that those who are pursued have fewer signs of emotional relationships” (p. 109). This means that the doctors being sued may not have listened to their patients or maintained close relationships with them, so patients did not feel comforted and understood, but simply another number in that doctor's file. However, this is not to say that the only reason to have empathy and compassion towards your patients is to avoid being sued, but having empathy towards a person like a patient can have the. ... middle of paper ..... . I must be able to understand myself in order to understand others. I need to have inner focus and other focus so that I can focus on my needs and those of my patient. If I want to become a psychologist in the future, I must learn to be in tune with people's emotions and learn verbal cues; however, activate my TPJ circuit in my mind so that I don't get distracted by the constant streams of emotions and focus on the task at hand that helps people live successful lives. Works Cited Goleman, D. (2013). Focus: The hidden engine of excellence. New York: HarperCollinsHalifax, J. (2010). Compassion and the true meaning of empathy [Audio file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/joan_halifaxMcGonigal, J. (2012). The game that can give you 10 extra years of life [Audio file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_the_game_that_can_give_you_10_extra_years_of_life