An Investigation on Turkish Specialist and Practitioner Doctors’ Empathy and Cognitive Flexibility Levels and Interpersonal Relationship Styles

Abstract

The aim of this research was to compare general practitioners and specialist doctors’ empathy and cognitive flexibility levels along with their interpersonal relationship styles. Research participants involved 30 general practitioners working in family health centers and 30 specialists serving in state hospitals. Data were obtained via sociodemographic information form, Jefferson Scale of Empathy, Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, and Interpersonal Relationship Scale. Although empathy levels did not differ between specialists and practitioners, findings revealed specialists embraced more open, respectful, and less condescending interpersonal relations styles than practitioners. Relatedly, specialists’ cognitive flexibility-alternatives subscale scores were significantly higher than practitioners. While practitioners’ cognitive flexibility-alternatives subscales were positively correlated with respectful styles and negatively correlated with condescending ones, their cognitive flexibility-control subscales were positively associated with respectful styles. Similarly, in this group, empathy was positively related to both cognitive flexibility subscales and negatively related to condescending styles. For specialists, empathy was not correlated with cognitive flexibility or interpersonal relations style. Demonstrating the importance and implications of communicational and relational interactions between patients and physicians seems to be an urgent issue for research. As a cost-effective measure, empathy and cognitive flexibility can be both learned and improved.