Premium
Correlates of affective empathy, perspective taking, and generativity among a sample of adults
Author(s) -
Versey H. Shellae,
Kakar Saakshi A.,
JohnVanderpool Simone D.,
Sanni Mubarak O.,
Willems Paul S.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.22433
Subject(s) - generativity , empathy , perspective (graphical) , psychology , perspective taking , social psychology , ethnic group , indigenous , developmental psychology , sociology , artificial intelligence , computer science , anthropology , ecology , biology
Previous research suggests that empathy can be cultivated by social ideals and relationships with people. The current study examines family importance and religious importance as correlates of affective empathy, perspective taking, and generativity among a sample of adults aged 18 to 35 ( N = 722). Given the ethnic and racial diversity represented by Millennials and Generation Z, the moderating role of racial group membership is explored as well. Results indicate that family importance is positively associated with affective empathy, perspective taking, and generativity for the overall sample, though the relationship is particularly strong for non‐Hispanic whites. Religious importance is significantly related to affective empathy and generativity (not perspective taking), primarily among Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color. Due to the increasing visibility of victimization towards socially vulnerable groups, it is important to understand how attitudes oriented towards helping and empathizing with others are fostered. Implications for further research are discussed.