scholarly journals Bullying and Cyberbullying in Adolescents from Disadvantaged Areas: Validation of Questionnaires; Prevalence Rates; and Relationship to Self-Esteem, Empathy and Social Skills

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (17) ◽  
pp. 6199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacinto Martínez ◽  
Antonio J. Rodríguez-Hidalgo ◽  
Izabela Zych
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Prevalence Rates ◽  
Measurement Instruments ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Peruvian Amazonia

Although bullying and cyberbullying have been widely studied in diverse geographical areas, the number of studies in isolated regions, located in rainforests such as the Peruvian Amazonia, is low. Most research has been conducted in wealthy, Western countries, although disadvantaged areas are usually the most affected by various problems. Thus, the aims of this study were to validate bullying and cyberbullying measurement instruments among adolescents in the Peruvian Amazonia, to determine the prevalence rates of bullying and cyberbullying among this population, and to examine how bullying and cyberbullying relate to self-esteem, empathy, and social skills. The sample included 607 students from the region of Loreto (Peruvian Amazonia) who completed self-report questionnaires. Both questionnaires used in the sample were found to have good psychometric properties. Results showed that bullying and cyberbullying are prevalent among teenagers in the Amazonia. Low self-esteem and high affective empathy predicted bullying victimization. Being a bully was related to high assertiveness. Being a bully-victim was related to low self-esteem and low assertiveness. Cybervictims showed higher cognitive empathy. Cyberbullies showed higher affective empathy in comparison to uninvolved adolescents. Having low self-esteem and higher affective empathy were related to being a cyberbully/victim. This study provides a validated questionnaire that can be used for research and practice in the Amazonia. Based on the current results, tailored anti-bullying and anti-cyberbullying interventions with components focused on self-esteem, empathy, and social skills should be implemented in Peruvian secondary schools.

scholarly journals Vagal Tone Differences in Empathy Level Elicited by Different Emotions and a Co-Viewer

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 3136
Author(s):  
Suhhee Yoo ◽  
Mincheol Whang
Keyword(s):  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Vagal Tone ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Emotional Intensity ◽  
Factor Level ◽  
Positive Valence ◽  
Valence And Arousal ◽  
Different Levels

Empathy can bring different benefits depending on what kind of emotions people empathize with. For example, empathy with negative emotions can raise donations to charity while empathy with positive emotions can increase participation during remote education. However, few studies have focused on the physiological differences depending on what kind of emotions people empathize with. Furthermore, co-viewer can influence the elicitation of different levels of empathy, but this has been less discussed. Therefore, this study investigated vagal response differences according to each empathy factor level elicited by different emotions and co-viewer. Fifty-nine participants were asked to watch 4 videos and to evaluate subjective valence, arousal scores, and undertake an empathy questionnaire, which included cognitive, affective and identification empathy. Half of the participants watched the videos alone and the other half watched the videos with a co-viewer. Valence and arousal scores were categorized into three levels to figure out what kind of emotions they empathized with. Empathy level (high vs. low) was determined based on the self-report scores. Two-way MANOVA revealed an interaction effect of empathy level and emotions. High affective empathy level is associated with higher vagal response regardless of what kind of emotions they empathized with. However, vagal response differences in other empathy factor level showed a different pattern depending on what kind of emotions that participant empathized with. A high cognitive empathy level showed lower vagal responses when participants felt negative or positive valence. High identification level also showed increased cognitive burden when participants empathized with negative and neutral valence. The results implied that emotions and types of empathy should be considered when measuring empathic responses using vagal tone. Two-way MANOVA revealed empathic response differences between co-viewer condition and emotion. Participants with a co-viewer felt higher vagal responses and self-reporting empathy scores only when participants empathized with arousal. This implied that the effect of a co-viewer may impact on empathic responses only when participants felt higher emotional intensity.

Reading other minds

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Djikic ◽  
Keith Oatley ◽  
Mihnea C. Moldoveanu
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Short Story ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Other Minds ◽  
Report Measure

The potential of literature to increase empathy was investigated in an experiment. Participants (N = 100, 69 women) completed a package of questionnaires that measured lifelong exposure to fiction and nonfiction, personality traits, and affective and cognitive empathy. They read either an essay or a short story that were equivalent in length and complexity, were tested again for cognitive and affective empathy, and were finally given a non-self-report measure of empathy. Participants who read a short story who were also low in Openness experienced significant increases in self-reported cognitive empathy (p .05). No increases in affective empathy were found. Participants who were frequent fiction-readers had higher scores on the non-self-report measure of empathy. Our results suggest a role for fictional literature in facilitating development of empathy.

scholarly journals Διερεύνηση της αποτελεσματικότητας και των ομαδικών διαδικασιών ενός ψυχοεκπαιδευτικού προγράμματος με στόχο την προαγωγή των θετικών τρόπων αντιμετώπισης δυσμενών καταστάσεων και της αισιοδοξίας σε μαθητές δημοτικού σχολείου

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Βασιλική Μπαούρδα
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Group Climate ◽  
Psychoeducational Group ◽  
Life Orientation Test ◽  
Life Orientation ◽  
Manifest Anxiety ◽  
Orientation Test ◽  
Children’S Hope Scale

Η Θετική Ψυχολογία αποτελεί έναν κλάδο της Ψυχολογίας που επικεντρώνεται στη µελέτη των θετικών χαρακτηριστικών του ανθρώπου. Ορισµένες από τις έννοιες που εξετάζει αποτελούν το ευ ζην (η αίσθηση ικανοποίησης από τη ζωή ή η διαδικασία αυτοπραγµάτωσης), η αισιοδοξία (η αίσθηση εµπιστοσύνης ότι θα συµβούν επιθυµητά γεγονότα στη ζωή κάποιου) και η ελπίδα (η πεποίθηση ενός ατόµου ότι µπορεί να βρει στρατηγικές για να επιτύχει τους στόχους του και η κινητοποίησή του να τις χρησιµοποιήσει). Τα παραπάνω χαρακτηριστικά σχετίζονται µε δείκτες βελτιωµένης σωµατικής και ψυχικής υγείας, καθώς και µε καλύτερη κοινωνική λειτουργία στα παιδιά. Επιπρόσθετα, οι στρατηγικές αντιµετώπισης (αντιδράσεις που αποσκοπούν στην πρόληψη ή τη µείωση µιας αντιλαµβανόµενης απειλής, βλάβης ή απώλειας) συσχετίζονται µε την αισιοδοξία και την ελπίδα και επιδρούν στην ψυχολογική και κοινωνική λειτουργία των παιδιών. Καµία έρευνα µέχρι τώρα δεν έχει στοχεύσει στην ταυτόχρονη ενίσχυση της αισιοδοξίας, της ελπίδας και των στρατηγικών αντιµετώπισης στα παιδιά. Επιπλέον, κατά τη διάρκεια των οµαδικών παρεµβάσεων λειτουργούν συγκεκριµένες οµαδικές διαδικασίες, όπως η θεραπευτική συµµαχία, το οµαδικό κλίµα και οι θεραπευτικοί παράγοντες, που επιδρούν στην αποτελεσµατικότητα των παρεµβάσεων. Καµία µελέτη οµαδικής παρέµβασης σε παιδιά στα πλαίσια της Θετικής Ψυχολογίας δεν έχει µελετήσει τιςδιαδικασίες που λαµβάνουν χώρα στη διάρκειά της. Η παρούσα έρευνα αποσκοπεί στην αξιολόγηση ενός ψυχοεκπαιδευτικού προγράµµατος παρέµβασης µε διάρκεια οκτώ συναντήσεις µε στόχο την ενίσχυση του αισιόδοξου και ελπιδοφόρου τρόπου σκέψης και των προσαρµοστικών στρατηγικώναντιµετώπισης σε παιδιά ηλικίας 8-12 ετών. Παράλληλα, η έρευνα διερεύνησε τις οµαδικέςδιαδικασίες που λαµβάνουν χώρα κατά τη διάρκεια εφαρµογής της παρέµβασης και τον τρόπο που επηρεάζουν την αποτελεσµατικότητά της. Στην έρευνα συµµετείχαν 361 µαθητές (229 οµάδα παρέµβασης και 132 οµάδα ελέγχου) 8-12 ετών (Μ.Ο. = 9,91±1,26). Το πρόγραµµα παρέµβασης περιλάµβανε δραστηριότητες για την αναγνώριση της σύνδεσης των συναισθηµάτων µε τις σκέψεις και τις συµπεριφορές, τη γνωστική αναδόµηση, την εκµάθηση και την εξάσκηση σε προσαρµοστικέςστρατηγικές αντιµετώπισης και την ενίσχυση της ελπιδοφόρας σκέψης. Για την αξιολόγηση της αποτελεσµατικότητας του προγράµµατος οι µαθητές απάντησαν πριν και µετά την ολοκλήρωση του προγράµµατος σε µια σειρά από ερωτηµατολόγια, για τη µέτρηση: (1) της αισιοδοξίας (Youth Life Orientation Test, Ey et al., 2005), (2) της ελπίδας (Children’s Hope Scale, Snyder, Hoza, et al., 1997), (3) των στρατηγικών αντιµετώπισης (Schoolagers’ Coping Strategies Inventory, Ryan-Wenger, 1990), (4) της αυτοεκτίµησης (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Rosenberg, 1965), (5) των κοινωνικών δεξιοτήτων (Children's Self-Report Social Skills Scale, Danielson & Phelps, 2003) και (6) του άγχους (Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale-Revised, Reynolds & Richmond, 1978). Επιπλέον, για τη διερεύνηση των οµαδικών διαδικασιών οι µαθητές απάντησαν κατά τη διάρκεια του προγράµµατος σε µια σειρά από ερωτηµατολόγια, για τη µέτρηση: (1) των θεραπευτικώνπαραγόντων (Critical Incidents Questionnaire, Bloch et al., 1979), (2) της θεραπευτικής συµµαχίας (Psychoeducational Group Alliance Scale for Children, Brouzos et al., 2018), (3) του οµαδικού κλίµατος (Group Climate Questionnaire – Short, MacKenzie, 1983) και (4) της αντίληψης των διευκολυντικών στάσεων της συντονίστριας (Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory, Barrett-Lennard, 2015). Οι µαθητές που συµµετείχαν στο ψυχοεκπαιδευτικό πρόγραµµα σηµείωσαν στατιστικά σηµαντική αύξηση, συγκριτικά µε τους µαθητές της οµάδας ελέγχου, στα επίπεδα της αισιοδοξίας, της ελπίδας και της αυτοεκτίµησης, στη χρήση συγκεκριµένων στρατηγικών αντιµετώπισης (αντιµετώπιση µέσω δραστηριοτήτων, αποφυγής και επίλυσης προβλήµατος) και στο αίσθηµα κοινωνικής αρέσκειας, ενώ παράλληλα εµφάνισαν σηµαντική µείωση στο αίσθηµα της απαισιοδοξίας και στις σωµατικές εκδηλώσεις του άγχους. Οι οµαδικές διαδικασίες που µελετήθηκαν περιλάµβαναν τους θεραπευτικούς παράγοντες, τη θεραπευτική συµµαχία, το οµαδικό κλίµα και την αντίληψη των διευκολυντικών στάσεων της συντονίστριας Κατά τη διάρκεια της παρέµβασης λειτούργησαν συγκεκριµένοι θεραπευτικοί παράγοντες, η σηµασία των οποίων µεταβαλλόταν ανάλογα µε το στάδιο ανάπτυξης των οµάδων. Στις πρώτες συναντήσεις οι µαθητές δηµιούργησαν µια καλή θεραπευτική συµµαχία µε τη συντονίστρια και διαµόρφωσαν µια θετική αντίληψη για τιςδιευκολυντικές στάσεις της, χωρίς να παρατηρούνται σηµαντικές µεταβολές στη διάρκεια τηςπαρέµβασης. Το οµαδικό κλίµα ήταν γενικά θετικό σε όλη τη διάρκεια της παρέµβασης χωρίς να εµφανίζονται σηµαντικές µεταβολές. Σηµαντικό εύρηµα της µελέτης επίσης αποτέλεσε ότι ορισµένες οµαδικές διαδικασίες εµπλέκονται στη µεταβολή των µεταβλητών αποτελέσµατος που εξετάστηκαν. Συγκεκριµένα, η θεραπευτική συµµαχία σχετίζεται µε τη µεταβολή των στρατηγικών αντιµετώπισης. Η αντίληψη των διευκολυντικών στάσεων επηρεάζει τη µεταβολή της αισιοδοξίας, των στρατηγικών αντιµετώπισης και του άγχους. Τέλος, το οµαδικό κλίµα σχετίζεται µε τη µεταβολή της ελπίδας, των στρατηγικών αντιµετώπισης και των κοινωνικών δεξιοτήτων. Συµπερασµατικά, η παρούσα έρευνα υποδεικνύει ότι µια καθολική, ψυχοεκπαιδευτική, οµαδική παρέµβασης για παιδιά ενισχύει τις στρατηγικές αντιµετώπισης, την αισιοδοξία και την ελπίδα τους. Επιπρόσθετα, υποδεικνύει ότι οι οµαδικές διαδικασίες επηρεάζουν την αποτελεσµατικότητα της παρέµβασης, εύρηµα που έχει πρακτικές προεκτάσεις για τους συντονιστές οµαδικών παρεµβάσεων.

scholarly journals Cognitive and affective empathy relate differentially to emotion regulation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas M Thompson ◽  
Carien M. van Reekum ◽  
Bhismadev Chakrabarti
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Interference Effects ◽  
Emotional Interference ◽  
Difficulties In Emotion Regulation ◽  
Component Processes ◽  
The Relationship

The constructs of empathy (i.e. understanding/sharing another’s emotion) and emotion regulation (i.e. the processes by which one manages emotions) have largely been studied in relative isolation of one another. To better understand the interrelationships between their various component processes, this manuscript reports two studies that examined the relationship between empathy and emotion regulation using a combination of self-report and task measures. In study 1 (N=137), trait cognitive and affective empathy were found to share divergent relationships with self-reported emotion dysregulation. Emotion dysregulation was negatively related to cognitive empathy but showed no relationship with affective empathy. In the second study (N=92), the magnitude of emotion interference effects (i.e. the extent to which inhibitory control was impacted by emotional relative to neutral stimuli) in variants of a Go/NoGo and Stroop task were used as proxy measures of implicit emotion regulation abilities. Trait cognitive and affective empathy were found to share different relationships with both task metrics. Higher affective empathy was associated with increased emotional interference in the Emotional Go/NoGo; no such relationship was observed for trait cognitive empathy. In the Emotional Stroop, higher cognitive empathy was associated with reduced emotional interference, but no such relationship was observed for affective empathy. Together, these studies demonstrate that greater cognitive empathy was broadly associated with improved emotion regulation abilities, while greater affective empathy was typically associated with increased difficulties with emotion regulation. This finding points to the need for assessing the different components of empathy in psychopathological conditions marked by difficulties in emotion regulation.

scholarly journals Cognitive and Affective Empathy Relate Differentially to Emotion Regulation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas M. Thompson ◽  
Carien M. van Reekum ◽  
Bhismadev Chakrabarti
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Stroop Task ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Emotional Stroop Task ◽  
Emotional Interference ◽  
Difficulties In Emotion Regulation ◽  
Component Processes

AbstractThe constructs of empathy (i.e., understanding and/or sharing another’s emotion) and emotion regulation (i.e., the processes by which one manages emotions) have largely been studied in relative isolation of one another. To better understand the interrelationships between their various component processes, this manuscript reports two studies that examined the relationship between empathy and emotion regulation using a combination of self-report and task measures. In study 1 (N = 137), trait cognitive empathy and affective empathy were found to share divergent relationships with self-reported emotion dysregulation. Trait emotion dysregulation was negatively related to cognitive empathy but did not show a significant relationship with affective empathy. In the second study (N = 92), the magnitude of emotion interference effects (i.e., the extent to which inhibitory control was impacted by emotional relative to neutral stimuli) in variants of a Go/NoGo and Stroop task were used as proxy measures of implicit emotion regulation abilities. Trait cognitive and affective empathy were differentially related to both task metrics. Higher affective empathy was associated with increased emotional interference in the Emotional Go/NoGo task; no such relationship was observed for trait cognitive empathy. In the Emotional Stroop task, higher cognitive empathy was associated with reduced emotional interference; no such relationship was observed for affective empathy. Together, these studies demonstrate that greater cognitive empathy was broadly associated with improved emotion regulation abilities, while greater affective empathy was typically associated with increased difficulties with emotion regulation. These findings point to the need for assessing the different components of empathy in psychopathological conditions marked by difficulties in emotion regulation.

scholarly journals The Gratitude Mediates the Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Empathy Among Medical Students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Yang Ou ◽  
Yanna Ren
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Professional Fulfillment ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background: One of the important parts of medical students' competence is empathy, which is believed to significantly influence patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes, and the sense of professional fulfillment. Objective: This study explored the potential mediating effect of gratitude on the relationship between self-esteem, cognitive empathy, and affective empathy, which may provide fundamental data for educational programs aiming to promote cognitive empathy and affective empathy. Design: The paper surveyed a total of 344 medical students with the Self-Esteem Scale, Gratitude Questionnaire-6, and the Chinese version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index Scale. It uses descriptive analysis to determine the levels of self-esteem, gratitude, and empathy, and Pearson’s correlation to analyze correlations between them. It also conducts the pathway analysis with the equipment of structured equation modeling to test the mediating effect of gratitude on the association between self-esteem and empathy. Results: A total of 306 (88.95%) medical students completed the survey. It finds that, first, the levels of self-esteem, gratitude, cognitive empathy, and affective empathy are significantly correlated. Second, self-esteem has a direct, positive effect on cognitive empathy and affective empathy. Third, gratitude has a mediating role between self-esteem, cognitive empathy [b self-esteem - gratitude - cognitive empathy = 0.072, 95% CI = (0.013 to 0.131), p< 0.05], and affective empathy [bself-esteem - gratitude - affective empathy = 0.241, 95% CI = (0.018 to 0.134), p< 0.001]. Conclusion: Based on the role of self-esteem and gratitude in predicting cognitive empathy and affective empathy, this model can be used in the practice of clinical education to promote cognitive empathy and affective empathy in medical students.

Higher Social Anxiety Severity Predicts Better Cognitive Empathy Performance in Women but Not Men

2020 ◽  
pp. 003329412096549
Author(s):  
Samantha K. Berg ◽  
Jeffrey S. Bedwell ◽  
Robert D. Dvorak ◽  
Erin B. Tone
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Path Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Behavioral Measure ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Socially Anxious ◽  
General Anxiety ◽  
Biological Sex ◽  
The Mind

Findings regarding relationships between social anxiety and subtypes of empathy have been mixed, and one study suggested that this may be due to moderation by biological sex. The present study examined whether accounting for general anxiety and biological sex clarifies these relationships. Undergraduates ( N = 701, 76% female) completed online self-report measures of cognitive and affective empathy, social and general anxiety severity, and a behavioral measure of cognitive empathy (Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task; MIE). Path analysis examined relationships among social and general anxiety severity and affective and cognitive empathy. Model modification indices showed a significant influence of sex on the path from social anxiety severity to MIE accuracy. When the model was re-estimated with this path freed, more socially anxious women, but not men, showed greater MIE accuracy. Across both sexes, general anxiety severity related negatively to self-reported and behavioral (MIE) cognitive empathy. Affective empathy did not relate to either type of anxiety. The use of path analysis to simultaneously account for overlapping variance among measures of anxiety and empathy helps clarify earlier mixed findings on relationships between social anxiety and empathy subtypes.

scholarly journals Empathy, Social Responsibility, and Civic Behavior Among Irish Adolescents: A Socio-Contextual Approach

2020 ◽  
pp. 027243162097765
Author(s):  
Charlotte Silke ◽  
Bernadine Brady ◽  
Ciara Boylan ◽  
Pat Dolan
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Social Values ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Contextual Approach ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Relationship

Research suggests that empathy and positive social values are important drivers of youth prosocial and civic action. However, theory and research indicate that young people’s civic behaviors are also shaped by their socio-contextual experiences. Drawing on a sample of 533 adolescents from public secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland, this research employed structural equation modeling to examine whether youth’s (cognitive and affective) empathy and social responsibility values mediated the relationship between youth’s social (parents, peers, school, and community) contexts and their civic behavior. Results suggest that youth’s cognitive empathy and social responsibility values appear to mediate the relationship between a number of social-contextual experiences and youth’s civic behavior. Overall, the findings from this research have important implications for research and practice.

scholarly journals Gender Role in Global Personal Self-Esteem and Narcissism among Nepalese School Adolescents

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-82
Author(s):  
Dasarath Neupane ◽  
Tatwa Timsina
Keyword(s):  
Gender Role ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
The Other ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Prevalence Rates ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Survey Instruments ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Almost All

  Introduction: Global personal self-esteem and narcissism with reference to gender role among school adolescents was studied in Kathmandu. The general aim of this research was to explore the correlation in global personal self-esteem and narcissism with response to gender among Nepalese school adolescents.Methodology: The study was correlational in design employing a pen-and-paper self-report survey. Within the survey, instruments (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale 1979 / RSES and Narcissistic Personality Inventory 1981/ NPI) measured the global personal self-esteem and narcissism. Participants were drawn from thirty (fifteen public and fifteen private) schools of Kathmandu. These schools were chosen in random selection. The number of participations was 936 school students.Results: The study investigated the prevalence of global personal self-esteem in the school with reference to gender. The result from the survey indicates that there is no significant difference between self-esteem and gender. On the other hand, girls are reported slightly higher narcissistic behaviour than boys.Conclusion: Self-esteem is how people feel about themselves generally. This study explored the prevalence rates of global personal self-esteem with reference to gender. It showed that there is no significant correlation between them. On the other hand, narcissism is a psychological condition defined as a total obsession with self, to the exclusion of almost all other interaction with people. The present study explored the prevalence rates of narcissism with reference to gender. It showed that girls reported slightly higher narcissistic behaviour than boys’ which contradicts the previous findings. Why it is found so in the Nepalese context is left for further research.

The relationships among psychopathy, empathy, and aggression

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S211-S211 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Lee ◽  
H.J. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Relevant Variables ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Scenario Task

IntroductionThe lack of empathy is often described as one of the core characteristics of psychopaths. However, prior studies on cognitive empathy in psychopaths have led to mixed conclusions, with some indicating that psychopaths have no impairments in cognitive empathy.ObjectivesThis study set out to resolve this inconsistency by distinguishing the two factors that constitute the construct of psychopathy: Factor 1 (e.g., emotional callousness, lack of guilt) and Factor 2 (e.g., irresponsible lifestyle, poor behavioral controls).AimsThe main aim of this study was to examine the differential relationship between these two factors and relevant variables including empathy, aggression, satisfaction with life.MethodsSelf-report questionnaires and two online experiments (facial affect recognition task, emotional scenario task) were administered to 306 undergraduate students to collect data about psychopathy, cognitive/affective empathy, aggression, satisfaction with life.ResultsCorrelation analysis revealed that both Factor 1 and Factor 2 had negative correlations with self-reported measures of cognitive/affective empathy, and only Factor 1 emerged as a significant predictor of both kinds of empathy. Aggression also showed a stronger positive correlation with Factor 1 than with Factor 2, regardless of subtypes (instrumental, reactive, relational, overt aggression). On the other hand, satisfaction with life was more negatively correlated with Factor 2 than Factor 1, and regression analysis revealed that only Factor 2 was a significant predictor.ConclusionsThis study showed Factor 1 is more important than Factor 2 in explaining both empathy and aggression in psychopath, while satisfaction with life is better explained by Factor 2 than by Factor 1.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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