Care Among Strangers: Empathy and Care at a Midwest Crisis Hotline

Abstract

Crisis hotlines are a rapidly expanding phenomenon in the United States. Since the rebranding of the Suicide Prevention Lifeline to 988 more people than ever are aware of, and using, hotlines. This paper focuses on a small, Midwestern crisis hotline and the listeners who volunteered at it. Much of my analysis throughout relies on anthropological writings on empathy, as well as the philosophical writings of Nel Noddings. The majority of my research focuses on the construction of care within the hotline, particularly through the use of empathy. Using participant observation and interviews, I outline the volunteers’ use of empathy to promote emotional investment in callers. This use of empathy was both strategic and purposeful, leading me to coin the term strategic care. In addition, this paper focuses on the limitations of empathy and care found throughout the crisis hotline. While limiting care was officially seen as a last resort, the interviews reveal a more nuanced understanding, where care was often limited to protect listeners and promote caller independence.