Evaluating relationship between empathy and personality: Explaining actual delinquency and propensity towards delinquency.

• In Event: Poster Session II

Abstract

This study assesses the relationship between empathy (i.e., cognitive and affective empathy) and personality in explaining propensity towards delinquency and actual delinquency. Absent in the literature are individual psychological measurement evaluating these relationships. Affective–cognitive empathy is “an emotional response congruent with the other person’s emotional state, whereas the cognitive includes understanding of the other person’s emotion either by simple associations or by more complex processes of perspective taking” (Eisenberg, Shea, Carlo, and Knight, 1991, Hoffman, 1991). Empathy and possible outcome of altruistic motivation (Piliavin et al 1981, Batson, 1991) are more likely to lead to lower delinquency and criminogenic behaviour (Chandler and Moran, 1990). The Big Five personality traits (McCrae & Costa, 1987) and have been effective in predicting and discerning problematic behaviours, conduct disorder, externalizing problems and delinquent versus non-delinquent behaviour (Caspi & Shiner, 2005). Measurements include Empathy Davis’ Interpersonal Reactivity Index, 1983),The Big Five Inventory (BFI; Goldberg, 1993, John & Srivastava, 1999), delinquency and propensity (Wortley, 2008). Personality (agreeableness, extraversion and neuroticism) explained 13% of variance in delinquency. Empathy was a weak predictor of actual delinquency and propensity towards delinquency. Findings are discussed in the context of intervention towards delinquency.

Author

• Mary Chadee, The University of the West Indies