Empathy is a stable predictor of compassionate emotions independent of an attribution of responsibility manipulation

Abstract

The goal of the present research was to investigate if individual differences in empathy and personal distress were stable predictors of compassionate emotions and whether these emotions, in turn, mediate the effect of attribution on prosocial propensity. We formulated four hypotheses to be tested concerning direct and indirect effects between the variables in our model. 627 participants, mainly female (N = 408), were randomly assigned to one of two conditions in which we manipulated the attribution of responsibility of a target person (uncontrollability x controllability). Our results corroborated totally or partially all four hypotheses, indicating that empathy was a stable predictor of compassionate emotions and that these emotions mediated the effect of attribution on prosocial propensity. Notably, we found that empathy was an even stronger predictor of compassionate emotions compared to the attribution that participants made. We found evidence corroborating the assumption that these prosocial individual differences measures can predict the tendency to actually experience compassionate emotions in different situations. Thus, we conclude that the comprehension of prosocial decision-making and attribution processes underlying prosocial situations must take into account individual differences as antecedents of compassionate emotions.Keywords prosocial behavior; empathy; compassionate emotions; attribution of responsibility; individual differences. RESUMENEl objetivo de la presente investigación fue evaluar si las diferencias individuales en empatía y angustia personal eran predictores estables de emociones compasivas y si estas emociones a su vez median el efecto de la atribución sobre la propensión prosocial. Hemos formulado cuatro hipótesis que se someterán a prueba por medio de los efectos directos e indirectos entre las variables del modelo. 627 participantes, principalmente mujeres (N = 408), fueron asignados aleatoriamente a una de las condiciones en las que manipulamos la atribución de responsabilidad (incontrolabilidad x controlabilidad). Nuestros resultados

Empathy as a Moderator Variable in the Relationship between Altruistic behavior and a Social responsibility among Faculty of Nursing female students

“…This can be explained in the light of the results of the study (Rieffe, Ketelear & Wiefferink, 2010;Gutierrez, Esarti & Pascual, 2011). The individuals who have high scores of tendency to empathy is marked by high levels of social responsibility according to altruistic behavior, and this study (Rabelo & Pilati, 2017) suggests that empathy has a mediating role between social responsibility and the positive inclination to help others. Individuals who have a greater tendency to empathize with others were more likely to help others and provide assistance to them based on their sense of social responsibility.…”

Are religious and nonreligious people different in terms of moral judgment and empathy?

“…Many studies have shown that empathy, generally conceptualized as an individual difference associated with the capacity to feel, share, and identify with the emotions of others as well as adopting the perspective and evaluating the reasons for the emotional states of others (de Waal, 2008) is closely related to moral inclinations, such as pro-social behavior and compassion (Eisenberg & Miller, 1987; Hollan, 2012; Rabelo & Pilati, 2017). But the relationship between empathy and morality is not always straightforward (Decety & Cowell, 2014).…”