Generalized Empathy in Child Molesters

Two studies are reported that examined generalized empathy in child molesters. Incarcerated child molesters were not found to be deficient in general empathy, but outpatient offenders displayed deficits in general empathy compared with matched non-offenders. The results are discussed in terms of the influence of the context in which child molesters are evaluated and in terms of the specificity of the empathy deficits.