Towards an integrative sociological theory of empathy

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 550-570
Author(s):  
Kevin McCaffree
Keyword(s):  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Present Theory ◽  
Historical Change ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
Selective Sampling ◽  
Contemporary Sociology ◽  
Mechanistic Theory ◽  
Sociology Of Morality ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
Historical Accounts

Sociological theories of morality have grown in prevalence over the last decade and a half. These theories often focus on developing single concepts such as identity, reputation or emotion, or they provide sweeping historical accounts. Such theories often also take the construct of empathy for granted, as an inevitable consequence of morality. Here, I present a mechanistic theory of empathy which operates at multiple levels of analysis. The approach offered can help frame particular topics in the sociology of morality, though it is also robust enough to analyse historical change. Specifically, the theory presented here is composed of sets of situational, structural and societal mechanisms. Each set is discussed, as well as their relation to one another, before turning to an explication of how the present theory relates to a selective sampling of prominent theories in the contemporary sociology of morality.

Vertical/compatible integration versus analogizing with biology

2006 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 348-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerome H. Barkow
Keyword(s):  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
Theoretical Integration ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
Implicit And Explicit

Vertical/compatible theoretical integration provides an alternative way of unifying sociocultural anthropology and related disciplines. It involves analyzing theoretical statements for their implicit and explicit assumptions at multiple levels of analysis and then determining whether these assumptions are compatible with consensus in the relevant disciplines (e.g., does the sociological theory include an assumption at odds with consensus psychology?). Incompatibilities indicate a need for further research. This approach is much more likely to salvage the bulk of humanities-oriented anthropology than is that of the authors.

scholarly journals Instantiating the multiple levels of analysis perspective in a program of study on externalizing behavior

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 1003-1018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore P. Beauchaine ◽  
Lisa M. Gatzke-Kopp
Keyword(s):  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Externalizing Behavior ◽  
Developmental Psychopathology ◽  
Personality Development ◽  
Developmental Model ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
Quarter Century ◽  
Trait Impulsivity ◽  
Multiple Levels

AbstractDuring the last quarter century, developmental psychopathology has become increasingly inclusive and now spans disciplines ranging from psychiatric genetics to primary prevention. As a result, developmental psychopathologists have extended traditional diathesis–stress and transactional models to include causal processes at and across all relevant levels of analysis. Such research is embodied in what is known as the multiple levels of analysis perspective. We describe how multiple levels of analysis research has informed our current thinking about antisocial and borderline personality development among trait impulsive and therefore vulnerable individuals. Our approach extends the multiple levels of analysis perspective beyond simple Biology × Environment interactions by evaluating impulsivity across physiological systems (genetic, autonomic, hormonal, neural), psychological constructs (social, affective, motivational), developmental epochs (preschool, middle childhood, adolescence, adulthood), sexes (male, female), and methods of inquiry (self-report, informant report, treatment outcome, cardiovascular, electrophysiological, neuroimaging). By conducting our research using any and all available methods across these levels of analysis, we have arrived at a developmental model of trait impulsivity that we believe confers a greater understanding of this highly heritable trait and captures at least some heterogeneity in key behavioral outcomes, including delinquency and suicide.

SIMULTANEOUS EXAMINATION OF THE ANTECEDENTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF EFFICACY BELIEFS AT MULTIPLE LEVELS OF ANALYSIS.

2002 ◽  
Vol 2002 (1) ◽  
pp. A1-A6 ◽  
Author(s):  
GILAD CHEN ◽  
SHEILA SIMSARIAN WEBBER ◽  
PAUL D. BLIESE ◽  
JOHN E. MATHIEU ◽  
STEPHANIE C. PAYNE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Efficacy Beliefs ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences

Genes, brain and emotions: Introduction

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Andrei C Miu ◽  
Judith R Homberg ◽  
Klaus-Peter Lesch
Keyword(s):  
Translational Research ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Emotional Experience ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Disorders ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
Genetic Influences ◽  
Biological Mechanisms ◽  
Comprehensive Account ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
Clinical And Translational Research

Recent research has started to uncover genetic influences on emotion and intermediate neural phenotypes. This work has involved an extensive array of methods and developed at the intersection of psychology, genetics, and neuroscience. The aim of this volume is to offer a comprehensive account of current research on the genetics of emotion, including methods focused on multiple levels of analysis; cognitive and biological mechanisms involved in the pathways between genes and emotional experience; and clinical and translational research on the genetics of emotion dysregulation in neuropsychiatric disorders.

scholarly journals Quantifying Marginality Across the Globe: An Empirical Assessment of Vigil’s Multiple Marginality Model in Predicting Gang Involvement

2020 ◽  
pp. 105756772094857
Author(s):  
Nicole J. Johnson ◽  
Alyssa Mendlein
Keyword(s):  
Minority Youth ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Gang Membership ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
Multilevel Analyses ◽  
Gang Involvement ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
Using Data

Vigil’s multiple marginality (MM) model of gang formation has resulted in hypotheses about why minority youth join gangs, and how these processes play out at multiple levels of analysis and across contexts. However, with a few exceptions, this framework has rarely been tested quantitatively, and especially in countries outside of North America. The current study assesses the MM model using data from the Second International Self-Report Delinquency Study and aggregate country-level data. Results from multilevel analyses reveal some support for the framework, in that at least one measure of each component of the MM model was found to be a significant predictor of gang membership. Controlling for individual and country variables, measures of street socialization exhibited the strongest effects on gang involvement. Yet not all proposed factors were significant predictors across all models. Longitudinal data are necessary to fully support the dynamics of the MM model.

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