As a social worker, I have often worked with people who describe their experiences as being broken-hearted or heart-breaking. For many years I failed to recognise this recurring language in peoples’ stories. This is a podcast that defines broken-heartedness and explains how I regard broken-heartedness as a crucial tool for social workers to build our understanding of the depths of harm and loss the people we engage with may be experiencing.
Specifically, broken-heartedness is a socio-emotional phenomenon that goes beyond the medical diagnosis of ‘broken-hearted syndrome’. In medical terms this syndrome is occurring when extreme stress damages the muscles of the heart. It can lead to heart disease and heart attacks. The purpose for social workers is not to diagnose or to impose the label of broken-heartedness on people we work with. Rather, the aim is to sensitise us to the social, political and economic factors that can directly impact peoples’ well-being and can lead to broken-heartedness. As such it can guide social workers in responding with deep empathy, in listening to peoples’ stories and in recognising how violence and injustice can cause broken-heartedness.
Broken-heartedness and social work