An investigation of the divergences and convergences of trait empathy across two cultures

Jami, Parvaneh Yaghoubi; Mansouri, Behzad; Thoma, Stephen J.; Han, Hyemin

doi:10.1080/03057240.2018.1482531

Cited by 24 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Both groups reported to have higher affective empathy than cognitive empathy. This result was in line with previous study in which American college students answered the IRI selfreported questionnaire and had a higher score on affective empathy (Yaghoubi Jami et al, 2019). On the other hand, having first-hand experience of psychological pain did affect situational cognitive empathy; those with an experience of psychological pain reported to have higher ability in understanding another individual in psychologically painful condition.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Although the present study applied Type III Sum Squares, the suggested analytical approach for unbalanced sample sizes (Pituch and Stevens, 2015), the present study failed to explore gender differences in participants' responses. There is numerous theoretical and empirical evidence showing gender effect on empathic responses (Yaghoubi Jami et al, 2019); thus, future studies may benefit from having balanced number of male and female participants in exploring the relationship between prior psychological pain and empathy.…”

Section: Limitations and Suggestions For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Do Histories of Painful Life Experiences Affect the Expression of Empathy Among Young Adults? An Electroencephalography Study

et al. 2021

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Previous research suggests that prior experience of pain affects the expression of empathy. However, most of these studies attended to physical pain despite evidence indicating that other forms of pain may also affect brain activity and emotional states in similar ways. To address this limitation, we compared empathic responses of 33 participants, some of whom had experienced a personal loss, across three conditions: observing strangers in physical pain, psychological pain, and a non-painful condition. We also examined the effect of presence of prior painful experience on empathic reactions. In addition, we examined the stimulation type, prior experience, and ERPs in the early Late Positive Potential (300–550 ms), late Late Positive Potential (550–800 ms), and very late Late Positive Potential (VLLPP; 800–1,050 ms) time windows. Behavioral data indicated that participants who had personally experienced a loss scored significantly higher on perspective taking in the psychological-pain condition. ERP results also indicated significantly lower intensity in Fp2, an electrode in the prefrontal region, within VLLPP time window for participants experiencing a loss in the psychological-pain condition. The results of both behavioral and ERP analysis indicated that prior experience of psychological pain is related to cognitive empathy, but not affective empathy. The implication of these findings for research on empathy, for the study of psychological pain, and the moderating influence of prior painful experiences are discussed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Limitations and Suggestions For Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Histories of Painful Life Experiences Affect the Expression of Empathy Among Young Adults? An Electroencephalography Study

et al. 2021

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“…This is especially true concerning empathy, as in the present study females were found to report higher levels of empathy as compared to males. More recent studies show that emotional empathy continues to show a female bias (Jami, Mansouri, Thoma, & Han, 2018) and also increases in older people, whereas cognitive empathy has been found to decrease with age. Such developments may also influence levels of resilience and gratitude (Khanjani et al 2015).…”

Section: Summary Limitations and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to become more grateful? The mediating role of resilience between empathy and gratitude

2020

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The current study examined the relationship between empathy, resilience, and gratitude. Specifically, the study investigated the potential mediating role of resilience between empathy and gratitude. The study involved 214 participants who completed the Gratitude Resentment and Appreciation Test-Revised (GRAT-R), the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE), and the Resilience Measurement Scale (SPP-25). The results showed significant positive correlations among resilience, empathy, and gratitude. Multiple regression analysis confirmed that resilience, gender, and affective empathy were direct predictors of the level of gratitude. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis supported the hypothesis that resilience played a mediating role between empathy and gratitude. Implications for research and the promotion of positive psychology programs for adults are discussed.

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“…The current study differs from previous studies in three ways. First, culture is a multidimensional construct (Jami et al, 2018); nevertheless, in previous Western–Asian cross-cultural studies of self-report empathy, the participant culture was identified only according to a single aspect, such as, nationality (e.g., Kaelber and Schwartz, 2014), ethnicity (e.g., Xu et al, 2009), or country of birth and growing up (e.g., Cassels et al, 2010). With reference to both the definition of culture and these previous studies, culture is defined as a string of simple proxies in the current study, including nationality (Australians or Mainland Chinese), ethnicity (Caucasians or Han Chinese), and country of birth and main place of growing up (Australian and Mainland China).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Culture–Sex Interaction and the Self-Report Empathy in Australians and Mainland Chinese

et al. 2019

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Empathy is the ability to understand and share other people’s emotions. Researchers have debated whether Westerners and Asians differ in their self-report empathy. This study aimed to replicate a previously reported culture–sex interaction in self-report empathy using Australian and Mainland Chinese participants, to investigate the cultural differences in self-report empathy in each sex group, and to verify the moderated mediating effects of three empathy-related traits (i.e., independent self-construal, interdependent self-construal, and personal distress) on the cultural differences in self-report empathy in both sex groups. In this study, scores on two self-report questionnaires of empathy, namely, the Empathy Quotient (EQ) and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), were compared between 196 Australian Caucasian (101 males) and 211 Mainland Chinese (59 males) university students. Results first confirmed the significant culture–sex interaction and illustrated that the cultural differences in empathy scores were significant only for female (i.e., Australian females had higher scores than Mainland Chinese females) but not for male participants. Furthermore, results of moderated mediation analyses indicated that higher self-report empathy in both females and males was related to higher interdependent self-construal (exhibited by Mainland Chinese) and less personal distress (exhibited by Australians), and particularly in females, also related to higher independent self-construal (exhibited by Australian females). The current study is one of few studies that suggest cultural differences in empathy are dependent on the sex of the participant. Moreover, the current findings have added new insights into the explanation of cultural differences in empathy using personal distress and self-construal.

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An investigation of the divergences and convergences of trait empathy across two cultures

Cited by 24 publications

References 51 publications

Do Histories of Painful Life Experiences Affect the Expression of Empathy Among Young Adults? An Electroencephalography Study

Do Histories of Painful Life Experiences Affect the Expression of Empathy Among Young Adults? An Electroencephalography Study

How to become more grateful? The mediating role of resilience between empathy and gratitude

Culture–Sex Interaction and the Self-Report Empathy in Australians and Mainland Chinese

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