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The (non)relation between empathy and aggression

Surprising results from a meta-analysis

Dados Bibliográficos

ID4422784
AutoresDavid D Vachon (0000-0003-2852-0262, University of Minnesota), Donald R Lynam (0000-0001-8306-498X, Purdue University West Lafayette), Jarrod A Johnson (Purdue University West Lafayette)
Ano2014
Volume140
Fascículo3
Páginas751-773
Data de publicação2014-05-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoPsychological Bulletin (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0033-2909 • E-ISSN: 1939-1455
EditoraAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/a0035236
PMID24364745
OpenAlexW1968333644
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas69
Referências citadas57

Assumptions regarding the importance of empathy are pervasive. Given the impact these assumptions have on research, assessment, and treatment, it is imperative to know whether they are valid. Of particular interest is a basic question: Are deficits in empathy associated with aggressive behavior? Previous attempts to review the relation between empathy and aggression yielded inconsistent results and generally included a small number of studies. To clarify these divergent findings, we comprehensively reviewed the relation of empathy to aggression in adults, including community, student, and criminal samples. A mixed effects meta-analysis of published and unpublished studies involving 106 effect sizes revealed that the relation between empathy and aggression was surprisingly weak (r = -.11). This finding was fairly consistent across specific types of aggression, including verbal aggression (r = -.20), physical aggression (r = -.12), and sexual aggression (r = -.09). Several potentially important moderators were examined, although they had little impact on the total effect size. The results of this study are particularly surprising given that empathy is a core component of many treatments for aggressive offenders and that most psychological disorders of aggression include diagnostic criteria specific to deficient empathic responding. We discuss broad conclusions, consider implications for theory, and address current limitations in the field, such as reliance on a small number of self-report measures of empathy. We highlight the need for diversity in measurement and suggest a new operationalization of empathy that may allow it to synchronize with contemporary thinking regarding its role in aggressive behavior

Aggression · Developmental psychology · Empathy · Meta-analysis · Operationalization · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Clinical Psychology · Medicine · Psychology · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending · Social Psychology · Stalking, Cyberstalking, and Harassment

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Obras citantes distintas69
Citações por ano6,9
Intervalo de citações2016 - 2026 (11)
Velocidade de citaçãocurrent
Altamente citadoNão
Tipos de citaçãoNeutras: 63
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