Empathy across cultures – one size does not fit all: from the ego-logical to the eco-logical of relational empathy

Empathy is extolled in Western healthcare and medical education as an exemplary quality to cultivate in trainees and providers. Yet it remains an elusive and inadequately understood attribute. It posits a “one size fits all” unidimensional attribute applicable across contexts with scant attention given to its multifaceted dimensions in intercultural contexts. In this article, we uncloak the shortcomings of this conventional empathy in intercultural settings, and instead propound an expanded “relational empathy”.