Mercy Seen as a Vital Part of the Caritative Caring Theory—A Linguistic Approach Employing Semantic and Synonym Analysis

Background: Mercy is a central concept in Eriksson's theory of caritative caring, but the notion has not been semantically analysed and investigated. Aim: This article aims to describe the synonyms and discuss the dimensions of the concept of barmhärtighet/mercy and the relationship to caritative caring science. Methods: This study utilised Koort's and Eriksson's hermeneutic semantic and configuration analysis. The semantic analysis was modified after translating the concept and the synonyms from Swedish to English. Seven dictionaries spanning many years were used when investigating synonyms for the concept of mercy. Results: Etymologically, the Swedish word barmhärtighet (mercy) has its origin in the German word 'armhetlich'. The verb arman means to have mercy. Miserere means those who have concern for the unhappy. Both arman and miserere seem to be related to love and compassion. The investigation of synonyms showed that the strongest association was found with the following synonyms: human, tender-hearted, compassionate, helpful, merciful, salutary, beneficial, gentle, pious, considerate and lenient. In three dictionaries, the words ‘heart’ and ‘caritative’ were connected to mercy. Three interrelated dimensions based on the synonyms of the concept mercy/barmhärtighet were found: an individual's disposition or character, attitudes and general behaviour, actions and deeds and consequences and effects of mercy. Conclusions: These findings could show that being human is to be merciful, compassionate, loving, kind-hearted and gentle. This refers to Eriksson's thoughts that each human being holds an office, but it also refers to ethos, arete and caritative caring.