Running head: THE PERSONALITY OF EMPATHY
The Personality of Empathy
Yecenia N. Riley
University of Phoenix
Measurements and Statistics
PSYCH 525
Dr. Joshua Briley
October 12, 2008
Abstract
“Empathy is the idea that the vital properties which we experience in or attribute to any person or object outside ourselves are the projections of our own feelings and thoughts. (Gauss, 2003, p.86)” The study of empathy in personality theory started as early as the early 1800s. Empathy is seen in children as young as two years old. The following work explores how empathy is evoked and measured.
The Personality of Empathy
Empathy is the ability of one person to feel for another or the ability to relate to another’s frustration, happiness, sadness, rage or pain. The ability to be empathetic has been noted to lead to cooperative, pro-social behavior and overall emotional health. The inability to be empathetic has been tied to concerning conditions such as asperger’s syndrome and sociopathic personality disorders.
Behavioral studies have indicated that when babies hear other babies cry, they cry too. This type of mimicking of emotion may be the early signs of empathy development. Children as young as two years old and defiantly three and four years of age, are able to demonstrate empathy for others. Toddlers and preschoolers show an understanding of what another is feeling in pretend play and by vocalizing such understanding.
Theodore Lipps wrote one of the most in depth analysis’ of empathy. He wrote that there are three levels of empathy. “The highest and third level of empathy for a human being is when we respond to gestures, facial expressions and the tone of voice in another. (Gauss, 2003, p. 86)” Empathy in preschool children was tested with the same characteristics to response to others. The Southampton Test of Empathy for Preschoolers, otherwise known as STEP, was a test designed to assess children’s ability to share in and...