Empatia rodziców jako korelat indywidualnych różnic w zakresie empatycznej troski u dzieci

Parental empathy as a correlate of individual differences in empathic concern amongst childrenMany researchers suggest that empathy is influenced by social experiences of a child. It is claimed that the general tendency to empathize is related to environmental factors – family in the first place. Moreover, psychological studies show that empathy is related to the social adjustment of children.Based on these findings the author implemented the research project designed to analyze the link between parents’ empathy and empathic concern displayed by their children (aged 4–9). Additionally, gender differences in empathy were explored amongst children and adults. The study was also aimed at verifying relations between empathy of kindergarten/elementary school children and their behavioral style in a peer group.Results indicate that empathy of mothers parallels their children’s, especially daughters’, tendency to express empathic concern. Mothers scored higher than fathers on two subscales of the Empathy Sensitivity Scale. Girls and boys were seen as similarly empathetic by their teachers. In line with research hypotheses, it was found that children’s empathy is related to the perception of their behaviors. More empathetic children were viewed as cooperative, less aggressive or as maintaining better relation with their teacher.