The right parietal lobe, sense of self, and empathy

Cross-cultural, ethnic, and religious considerations

Bibliographic Data

ID19504585
AuthorsDaniel Cohen (0000-0001-8227-0909, University of Missouri, corresponding author), Braj Bhushan (0000-0001-5177-1209, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur), Robin A Hanks (0000-0002-3432-4789, Wayne State University), Robin Hanks (Wayne State University), Dong Pil Yoon (University of Missouri), Brick Johnstone (0000-0001-8845-9649, Intrepid Spirit Center, Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, Fort Belvoir, USA), Issac Hunt (University of Missouri)
Year2020
Volume23
Issue5
Pages375-397
Publication date2020-05-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMental Health Religion & Culture (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1367-4676 • E-ISSN: 1469-9737
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13674676.2020.1725454
OpenAlexW3048402590
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited75

This study extends previous research where empathy associated with increased right parietal lobe (RPL) “self-orientation” and left hemisphere (LH) “other-orientation” by investigating different cultural (India, US), ethnic (African American, Caucasian, South Asian), and religious (Christian, Hindu, Muslim) groupings. Participants included 108 individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and explored correlations between empathy and neuropsychological measures. Measures included neuropsychological indices of cerebral functional integrity (RPL, left frontal, left temporal) and self-report measures of affective and cognitive empathy. Pearson correlations showed increased RPL functioning positively and significantly associated with increased cognitive empathy for total, India, US, Christian, Muslim, African American, and South Asian samples. LH indices associated positively with both affective and cognitive empathy for US, Caucasian, and Christian participants. Contrary to hypotheses, indices of RPL functioning significantly but negatively associated with affective empathy for Indian, Muslim, and South Asian samples, possibly reflecting different conceptualisations of “self” in individualistic versus collectivist societies

Cognition · Collectivism · Developmental psychology · Empathy · Ethnic group · Individualism · Neuropsychology · Psychiatry · Sociology · Anthropology · Clinical Psychology · Hemispheric Asymmetry in Neuroscience · Psychology · Social Psychology · Spatial Neglect and Hemispheric Dysfunction · Traumatic Brain Injury Research

Tools

Open DOI