Patterns of development in early empathic behavior: Environmental and child constitutional influences

The second year of life is a period of developmental change and instability in empathic expressions. In this study, we identify specific developmental patterns of global empathy during the second year and investigate maternal style, family environment, and temperamental factors as moderator influences on these patterns of development. The sample consists of 158 children selected from twin pairs whose empathic development had been previously studied at 14 and 20 months of age. Planned comparisons within specific groups (initially high, mid-range, or low empathy) tested the difference between children who changed versus those who remained stable. Maternal style, family climate, and child temperament variables significantly differentiated children among different patterns of development. Child gender was an additional moderator of family influences on development among those children whose empathic responses were initially low. These findings suggest the importance of distinguishing patterns of development based on where in the range of behaviors development is tracked.     

Factors That Influence Willingness to Help the Homeless

Homelessness is an ongoing challenge for many families and individuals. Many struggle to meet their basic needs for food, clothing and shelter. Unfortunately, we know very little about the people who directly help homeless people meet these needs. The present study examines the relationships between empathy, religion, household income, political orientation, gender, race, and people's expressed willingness to assist the homeless. Results demonstrate a strong and consistent link between empathy and willingness to help. Moderately consistent associations are found for religion and race. Limitations, suggestions for further research, and for practical application are discussed.     

从“移情说”探析《变形记》震撼心灵的内在秘密

本文试图另辟蹊径,从审美接受的角度探讨《变形记》这部作品震撼心灵的内在秘密。     

Whatever it takes: Leaders' perceptions of abusive supervision instrumentality

In this paper we examine how leaders' perceptions of the instrumental benefits of abusive supervision shape their tendencies to abuse their employees. We posit that leaders who believe abuse has a positive impact on employee performance will engage in more abusive supervision than their peers, with downstream implications for employees' counterproductive work behaviors. Furthermore, we position leader empathic concern as a boundary condition, whereby empathic concern mitigates the effects of leaders' perceptions of abusive supervision's instrumentality. Data from two studies employing both experimental and field survey designs offer convergent support for our hypotheses. Overall, our findings challenge the prevailing view that abusive supervision is primarily motivated by a desire to aggress, instead demonstrating that leaders sometimes abuse their employees in the pursuit of more pro-organizational goals.     

丰情神韵 意致无穷

唐代,我国大量诗文创作的审美理论产生并盛行。日僧空海作为遣唐使来我国进行文化交流,随后编撰《文镜秘府论》。作品中,空海收录了王昌龄、皎然等人的诗文理论,并结合自身,探讨诗文创作规律和审美功能。空海认为这是一个由感性的意象,到触物起兴的兴象,最后到达虚实相生的意境的过程。由此,我们可窥见唐代诗歌美学理论之一斑:从刘勰的"窥意象而运斤",到殷?的"兴象"审美情趣,最终由王昌龄和皎然进一步揭示诗歌意境含蕴无尽的特征。空海在《文镜秘府论》中对意境理论的探讨,恰好与唐代审美意境理论的发展历程极其相似。     

Learning empathy through literature

ABSTRACT

In the field of organization studies, little consideration has thus far been devoted to the study of literature. The lacuna in the extant scholarship is unfortunate insofar as there is much to be gained for researchers interested in understanding organization to critically engage with literature. As an illustrative example of how literature can inform myriad pertinent discourses in organization studies, in this piece we study the question of empathy. That is, we describe just some of what may be gleaned about empathy from literature using anecdotes from a pedagogical exercise. Finally, we close this piece with a brief overview of the articles selected for this special issue.     

Empathic concern and prosocial behaviors: A test of experimental results using survey data

This study uses survey data to test the correlation between empathic concern and 14 different prosocial behaviors, including informal help to individuals and formal helping through institutions. Statistically significant correlations were found for 10 behaviors, but substantively meaningful correlations were only found for three, all of which were spontaneous, informal helping behaviors, where the individual needing help was directly present. The findings indicate that empathic concern may not be an important motivator for planned helping decisions and decisions to help others who are not immediately present, such as volunteering, charitable giving, and blood donation. The weak correlation between empathic concern and most helping behaviors indicates that individual differences in empathic concern may not play much a role in helping decisions.     

Pathways to the Clinician’s Experience of Empathy in Engaging Single Mothers at Risk for Physical Abuse of their Children

Based upon an analysis of interviews from a qualitative study with twelve agency-based clinical social workers, this paper recounts three “situational pathways” through which these workers were able to experience empathy in the process of engaging low-income single mothers whose presenting picture involved physical aggression toward their symptomatic children who the workers were also seeing for therapy. The paper describes and utilizes self-psychological and intersubjective concepts to understand the therapeutic contexts that may enhance the worker’s potential for experientially understanding the client’s viewpoint. The relevance of the findings for practice and training is discussed.

Operationalizing genuineness in CSR communication for public engagement on social media

Public relations professionals from global corporations have increasingly communicated corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices on social media to engage publics. Yet the link between CSR communication of global corporations, particularly with regard to the dimensions of genuineness exhibited in their communication and public engagement on social media is under-researched in China. This empirical study conceptualized and operationalized the dimensions of genuineness, which encompass providing information about different CSR themes, being responsive to publics, demonstrating empathy, and being consistent in what corporations say and do, and then investigated how global corporations engaged Chinese publics through genuine CSR communication on Sina Weibo. Enhanced public engagement outcomes of comments, likes, and shares were observed for the provision of information about the community involvement and development CSR theme alongside the use of empathy. This study informs public relations scholars and practitioners about the importance of providing information on the CSR theme of community involvement and demonstrating empathy to generate higher public engagement.     

Empathic people have more friends: Empathic abilities predict social network size and position in social network predicts empathic efforts

Living in large groups and maintaining extensive social relationships, as humans do, requires special social capabilities. Past research has shown that social cognitive abilities predict people’s social network size. To extend these findings we explored the role of a social emotional ability, and investigated how empathic abilities shape people’s social network. In line with the social brain hypothesis the findings show that dispositional empathic abilities (IRI), and empathic concern specifically, predict how many close relationships people maintain. The study also found that emphatic abilities are strategically used in people’s social network, with more empathy exercised in the support group with closer relationships. The findings further demonstrate the social function of empathy and highlight the importance of understanding empathy in terms of its strategic exercise among various social relationships.