Intergenerational relationships refer to relationships between people in alternate generational groups. The increasing numbers of older people all over the world highlight the need for studies on psychological processes that enhance well-being through intergenerational relationships. People from different generations are co-dependent for care and support. Older people constitute a diverse group: some may experience a depletion of energy, physical, financial and emotional resources, while others have good health, financial security and stable social support networks. What all people, including older people, have in common, however, is a need for meaningful relationships. This makes it worthwhile to explore the experiences of relationships with younger people from the perspective of older people. This study is important because research indicates that the relationships between older people (60 years and older) and adolescents and young adults are strained. An initial study on intergenerational care experiences from the perspective of people aged 60 years and older and young people in the middle-adolescent developmental phase (at 16 years) revealed a lack of empathy from the older generation towards the younger generation. It was decided to focus in this study on intergenerational empathy specifically. Mutual empathetic understanding is suggested as a means to overcome challenges between members of generations that have to compete for limited resources, especially in low-resource areas such as the specific rural African community studied in Vaalharts, South Africa. It is suggested that empathy could increase intergenerational understanding between older and younger people dealing with their respective developmental challenges. The research was conducted in a community with high levels of poverty and limited physical and material resources. The study is qualitative in nature and used an interpretive descriptive research design. This design provided the basis to explore the perceptions of empathy by using theoretical constructs to derive at an understanding of experiences in the community and specifically those of the older generation. The 18 participants were all older than 60 and Setswana speaking but were also proficient in Afrikaans and English. Eight of the participants (1 man and 7 women) participated in study using the Mmogo-method®. This is a projective technique that uses visual presentations to gain a deeper insight into meaning that is developed between the participants. For the Mmogo-method®, participants (older people) were invited to make visual representations of how they experienced care in relation to young people in the middle adolescent developmental phase, at around 16 years. A further 10 participants (4 men and 6 woman), who were not part of the Mmogo-method® project, participated in semi-structured interviews. These interviews provided them the freedom to elaborate on their own unique experiences. Semi- structured interviews also provide a certain amount of structure for the interviewer to make sure that detailed information on empathy in arising relevant conversations are obtained. Data were analysed using an inductive approach as well as thematic analysis of experiences about intergenerational care: empathy (and specifically, a lack of empathy) emerged as a recurrent theme. The literature shows a connection between empathy and care, which accordingly served as the focus of this study. The data were further subjected to a directed form of content analysis (deductive category application) which was conducted after literature and theory on intergenerational empathy have been consulted. A visual analysis was conducted on the visual presentations that the participants built as part of the Mmogo- method®. Trustworthiness was ensured by using the principles proposed by Guba’s model of trustworthiness and that include: obtaining thick descriptions, ensuring credibility, member checking and ensuring confirmabillity. Ethical consent to conduct this study was given by the Human Research Ethics committee of the Faculty of Health Sciences in the North-West University (reference number NWU-00053-10-S1). A gatekeeper was used to gain access to the community studied and participants gave their informed consent. The lack of empathy from the perspective or the older people emerged from the way in which older people viewed the relationship with the young solely from their own perspective and from their inability to place themselves in the position of the younger persons. Older people were at first unable to visualize the young in their caring relationships; they expressed negative and judgemental attitudes towards them and perceived that the young people are rejecting the wisdom of their elders. Older people resorted to outsiders to assist in communicating with and disciplining the young. The lack of empathy on the part of the older people for the young can have dire effects on their vital intergenerational relationships. It is recommended that community-based interventions be developed to promote empathy between the two generations. / MA (Research Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Våld mot kvinnor är ett globalt folkhälsoproblem och länge har kvinnan stått i fokus som enda offret i familjen, men nu vet man att även barn som bevittnat våldet påverkas negativt i hög grad. Varje år söker sig tusentals kvinnor och barn till landets kvinnojourer för att få stöd och skydd. Syftet med den här uppsatsen var att få kunskap om hur kvinnor som är engagerade i arbetet på kvinnojourer beskriver att de bemöter barn som bevittnat våld och hur de arbetar för att hjälpa dem i deras situation I studien användes en kvalitativ metod där fem enskilda intervjuer med jourkvinnor utförts. Det insamlade materialet har analyserats utifrån innehållsanalys och temat som växte fram ur analysen var ”Trygghet”. Resultatet har analyserats i förhållande till traumateori samt begreppet empati. I resultatet framkommer det att barn på kvinnojouren uppvisar symptom som kan jämföras med traumatisering och posttraumatisk stress till exempel aggressivitet, undvikande beteende och hyperaktivitet. Studien visar att jourkvinnorna bemöter barnen på kvinnojouren med ett empatiskt förhållningssätt, genom att vara lyhörda för barnens behov och lägga stor vikt vid att bygga upp tillit hos barnet. I mötet med barnet var leken en betydelsefull del.  I rollen som jourkvinna är trygghet centralt i arbetet med barn som bevittnat våld. Kunskap på kvinnojourer finns men de skulle vilja ha mer fortbildning. / Violence against women is a global public health problem and for a long time the woman has been in the spotlight as the only victim in the family, but now we know that children who have witnessed violence are greatly affected. Each year, thousands of women and children are seeking women shelters for support and protection. The purpose of this paper was to obtain knowledge about how women who are engaged in work at women's shelters describe that they support children who have witnessed violence and how they work to help them in their situation. In this study, a qualitative method was used and five individuals that are involved with women shelters were interviewed. The material collected has been analyzed based on content analysis and the theme that emerged from the analysis was “Safety”. The theoretical perspective that has been used to analyze the outcome is trauma theory and the concept of empathy. The result shows that the children in the shelter are showing signs of symptoms that can be compared with trauma and post-traumatic stress for example, aggression, avoidance behavior and hyperactivity. The result of the study also shows that the women treat the children at the shelter with an empathetic approach. To do that they are responsive to children's needs and a strong emphasis is placed on building a bond of trust with the child. In their contact with the children, playing was an important part. Feeling secure was central in their work with children who have witnessed violence. The shelters have knowledge but they want more education.

The aim of this dissertation is to examine the implementation of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) in social services and how it affects the encounter between the clients and their social workers. As structured interviews are unusual in social service based addiction care there is concern that they will have negative consequences on the relation between the social workers and their clients. The first study therefore investigates the clients’ acceptance of the ASI. The results show that 95 % of the clients accepted the ASI and that 85% viewed it in positive terms. Approximately 8% reported feeling violated by one question without this having any negative effect on the relation to the social workers or confidence in the social services. The results did not give empirical support for negative effects of the ASI. In the second study a comparison was made between a group that had participated in an assessment session using the ASI and a group with which the ASI had not been used. The results show that there is no difference in perception of “the alliance” or “negative experiences” with or without the ASI, but that the clients’ feeling of “own competence” is lower when the ASI is employed. The question of whether the reduced feeling of own competence among the clients is an expression of greater realism and reduced denial or only the negative effect of increased helplessness on the clients’ self-esteem can not be resolved in this study. In the third study, based on the same groups participating in the second study, the social workers were also asked to judge how the clients experienced such assessment sessions. The results show that the social workers’ assessment of the clients’ experiences differed from the clients’ own experiences regarding the “alliance” and “clients’ own feelings of competence”. However, the social workers made a correct assessment of the clients’ “negative experiences” of the sessions. The two different forms of session, with or without the ASI, did not influence the social workers’ assessment of the clients’ perceptions. The fourth study presents the results of a national questionnaire completed by 555 members of staff in social services, the prison service, and addiction services. The results show that supervisors and bosses take an increasingly greater responsibility for ASI training and that opportunities for using the ASI varied according to the place of work. Differences can probably be explained by different services being in different phases of implementation at the time of the study. The ASI has primarily been used in direct client work and only to a minor extent for follow-ups and evaluation. The number of ASI interviews carried out is small especially for those trained prior to 1999.

Detta arbete behandlar huruvida läromedlen Utkik 7-9 Historia och SO direkt historia ämnesboken, som används för historiekunskap i årskurs 7-9, följer läroplanens värdegrundsuppdrag om att främja det mångkulturella samhället eller indirekt motarbetar det. Fokus i den kvalitativa undersökningen av läromedlen är att studera utifrån vilka perspektiv utomeuropeisk historia berättas och om dessa perspektiv öppnar upp eller förhindrar utvecklandet av historiemedvetande och historisk empati, som således bör främja nutida mångkultur. Undersökningen har därför gjorts utifrån de två perspektivbegreppen eurocentrism och interkulturellt lärande, två ytterligheter när det gäller historieframställning och där interkultur arbetar mer i främjandet av mångkultur. Vidare sker en komparativ analys för att se om något av läromedlen gör ett bättre jobb i uppfyllandet av värdegrunden. För att ge bakgrund till arbetet används utdrag från Skolverkets hemsida samt från grundskolans läroplan. Undersökningsfrågorna baseras i olika typer av tidigare forskning utförd av Niklas Ammert, Lars Nyström (med flera), Peter Gran samt Maria Johansson. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att läromedlen inte lever upp till läroplanens krav eftersom de båda till övervägande del präglas av eurocentriska perspektiv snarare än interkulturella. Detta förhindrar således för elever att utveckla ett historiemedvetande och historisk empati. / This essay examines whether or not the textbooks Utkik 7-9 Historia and SO direkt historia ämnesboken, which both are used as teaching materials in compulsory school history (grades 7-9), meet the values of the curriculum concerning the support of a multicultural society. The qualitative study therefore investigates from which perspectives non-European history is described, and if those perspectives enable or prevent the development of historical consciousness and historical empathy, two qualities that benefit multiculturalism. Therefore, the examination has its foundation in the two perspective concepts eurocentrism and intercultural learning, which are each others opposites when it comes to historical representation. In short, intercultural learning has a bigger focus on embracing multiculturalism. A comparative analysis is also carried out to examine if one of the two textbooks do a better job fulfilling the values of the Swedish curriculum. Extracts from the compulsory school curriculum and from Skolverket's website will be used as background for the investigation. The survey questions are based on different research done byNiklas Ammert, Lars Nyström (and others), Peter Gran, and Maria Johansson. The result from the study shows that both textbooks fail to meet the requirements of the curriculum since they are predominantly characterized by a eurocentric perspective rather than an intercultural one. Therefore they also prevent students from developing historical consciousness and historical empathy.

We classify animals into a few distinct groups: companion animals (pets and strays like dogs and cats), utility animals (animals that serve a purpose like cows farmed for dairy or meat or foxes farmed for fur), and wild animals (nondomestic animals in their natural habitat). This study will investigate empathic relationships between people and animals of these four types in two abuse scenarios (active abuse and neglect). These factors were manipulated in a 2x4 experimental design. I expect a closer relationship with humans will correlate with a higher degree of empathy for the victim such that homed companion animals will generate the most empathy, followed by stray, utility, and finally wild. Results supported this hypothesis to an extent. This research is intended to bridge gaps between empathy towards humans and empathy towards other animals. If we can manipulate the degree to which people tend to relate to animals by varying our descriptions of these animals, we can also manipulate people’s desire to protect them.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate empathy for persons from ethnical groups different than one’s own, an ability called ethnocultural empathy. A scale measuring ethnocultural empathy was translated and validated for a Swedish context and tested in a student sample, a majority of which were healthcare students. Three studies were performed. In study I, the validity and reliability of a Swedish translation of the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy (SEE) was investigated (N=326). The purpose of study II was to investigate the association between basic empathy as measured by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1983) and ethnocultural empathy as measured by the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy (Wang et al., 2003). In study III, differences in basic empathy as well as in ethnocultural empathy were explored in a sample of 365 undergraduate students at the beginning and end of four Master programmes in health care education (Medicine, Psychology, Nursing and Social Work). The main results from the present thesis indicate that the central tendency, distribution of scores, intercorrelations, and factor structure in the Swedish version of SEE were well-matched and mainly similar to the American version. A significant strong correlation between basic and ethnocultural empathy was found, suggesting that the two constructs overlap substantially. The results of study III revealed that students from all programmes in health care had fairly high scores on both empathy scales. There were, however, significant differences between the study programmes. Overall, the studies show that ethnocultural empathy is a measurable construct but that it overlaps with basic empathy and further testing of the construct is needed. Implications of the findings for the measurement of empathy are discussed. / Avhandlingens övergripande syfte var att undersöka empati hos personer och grupper som har en annan etnisk bakgrund än den egna, en förmåga som kallas etnokulturell empati. Denna förmåga handlar om kunskap och acceptans av andra etniska individer och gruppers kulturella uttryck. Det amerikanska instrument som anses mäta etnokulturell empati översattes och validerades till svenska språk och förhållanden. Därefter testades instrumentet hos studenter på hälsovårdutbildningar i tre studier. I studie I undersöktes instrumentets validitet och reliabilitet i ett urval av 326 respondenter. I studie II undersöktes sambandet mellan grundempati, som anses mätas med instrumentet Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), och etnokulturell empati som anses mätas med Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy (SEE). Studie III undersökte skillnader i grundempati och etnokulturell empati hos 365 studenter inom fyra program (Läkare, psykolog, sjuksköterska och socionom) i början och i slutet av deras studier. De huvudsakliga fynden i denna avhandling visade att faktorstrukturen och inter-korrelationerna i den svenska versionen av SEE i stor utsträckning liknade den amerikanska versionen. Dock detta inte bekräftades i konformatoriska faktoranalysen (CFA). Resultatet i studie II visade på ett starkt samband mellan grundempati och etnokulturell empati, vilket tyder på att dessa två konstruktioner av empati kraftigt överlappar varandra. I studie III visade resultatet att alla studenter från hälsovårdsutbildningarna hade höga nivåer av grund- och etnokulturell empati. Emellertid fanns signifikanta skillnader mellan programmen. Psykolog- och socionomstudenter hade högre nivåer av både grund empati och etnokulturell empati. Det övergripande resultat från avhandlingen visade att det går att mäta etnokulturell empati, men den nuvarande konstruktionen överlappar med grund empati. Ytterligare studier behövs för att förbättra instrumentet.

Tyrimo objektas: paauglių delinkventinio elgesio sąsajos su saviverte ir empatija. Tyrimo tikslas: nustatyti paauglių delinkventinio elgesio, savivertės ir empatijos sąsajas. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1. Ištirti paauglių delinkventinio elgesio ypatumus. 2. Nustatyti paauglių savivertės rodiklius. 3. Ištirti paauglių empatijos rodiklius. 4. Palyginti merginų ir vaikinų delinkventiško elgesio, savivertės, empatijos rodiklius. Hipotezės. 1. Tikėtina, kad kuo didesni delinkventinio elgesio pasireiškimai, tuo mažesnis savivertės bei empatijos lygis. 2. Vaikinų delinkventiško elgesio ir savivertės rodikliai yra aukštesni negu merginų. 3. Merginų empatijos lygis yra didesnis negu vaikinų. Išvados: 1. Nustatyta, kad dažniausiai pasitaikanti delinkventinio elgesio forma yra namų darbų nusirašinėjimas, o rečiausiai - smulkios vagystės, negrįžimas namo per naktį bei patyčios. 2. Gauti rezultatai atskleidė, dauguma mokinių turi aukštą ir šiek tiek mažiau vidutinę savivertę. 3. Remiantis tyrimo duomenimis, galima teigti, jog mergaičių empatijos rodikliai yra aukštesni nei berniukų. 4. Ieškant statistiškai reikšmingų skirtumų tarp lyčių, išsiaiškinta, kad vaikinų delinkventinis elgesys daug stipriau išreikštas negu merginų, Rasti statistiškai reikšmingi muštynių mokykloje, patyčių ir ginklo į mokyklą atsinešimo skirtumai. Atlikus tyrimą, paaiškėjo, kad tiek berniukams, tiek mergaitėms būdingesnis aukštas ir vidutinis savęs vertinimas. Tačiau statistiškai reikšmingas skirtumas tarp... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Object of work: adolescent‘s delinquent behaviour connection with self – esteem and empathy. Goal: to estimate adolescent‘s delinquent behaviour connection with self – esteem and empathy. Objectives: 1. To establish adolescent‘s delinquent behaviour rates. 2. To establish adolescent‘s self – esteem rates. 3. To establish adolescent‘s empathy rates. 4. To compare boys‘s and girls‘s delinquent behaviour, self – esteem and empathy rates. Hypothesis: 1. The higher level of delinquent behaviour predicted the lower level of empathy and self - esteem. 2. Boys have higher delinquent behaviour and self - esteem rates than girls. 3. Girls empathy‘s level is higher than boys. Conclusions: 5. It was estimated that commonly occured form of delinquent behaviour is homework crib, and rarely – picking and stealing, running away from home and bullying. 6. Data analysis showed that majority of pupils have high and lightly less – middle self esteem. 7. According to research analysis, girl‘s empathy rates are hiher than boys. 8. Searching for statistically significant differences of gender, it was found out that boy‘s delinquent behaviour was more pronounced than girl‘s. There was statistically significant diferrences in fights at school, bullies and taking gun to school. After research, it was revealed that majority of pupils have high or middle self - esteem. However, statistically significant diferrence between boy‘s and girl‘s self esteem was not estimated. Also, it was revealed that... [to full text]

This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of a filial/play therapy training model with high school juniors and seniors enrolled in a Peer Assistance and Leadership program (PALs). Filial/play therapy is an intervention that focuses on strengthening and enhancing adult-child relationships. The high students are trained to be a therapeutic change agent for primary school children identified as having adjustment difficulties by utilizing basic child-centered play therapy skills in weekly play sessions with young children. Specifically, this study is designed to determine the effectiveness of filial therapy in increasing: 1) the high school students' observed empathic behavior with young children, 2) the high school students' observed attitude of acceptance toward young children, 3) the high school students' observed ability to allow self-direction in young children, and 4) the high school students' observed level of involvement with young children. The experimental group, consisting of 16 volunteer high school students enrolled in a PALs class for high school credit, received a total of 24 weeks of filial/play therapy didactic training, application, and supervision for the playtimes they conducted with pre-kindergarten/kindergarten students identified with adjustment difficulties. The comparison group consisted of 15 volunteer high school students enrolled in a PALs class for high school credit. The comparison group received the standard PALs class curriculum. All students were videotaped playing with a young child 4 to 6 years of age before and after the training as a means of measuring empathic behavior with young children. An Analysis of Covariance revealed statistically significant findings in all four hypotheses. Specifically, the experimental group of high school students exhibited statistically significant increases in empathic interactions with young children when compared to the comparison group. The experimental group also exhibited statistically significant increases in communication of acceptance of young children's feelings and behaviors, acceptance and behavioral willingness to follow young children's lead rather than attempt to control their behavior, and attention to and participation in young children's play. This study supports the use of filial/play therapy as an effective training model for increasing high school students' empathic behavior with young children. Filial/play therapy offers significant possibilities for training high school students in a developmentally appropriate model for working with young children identified with school adjustment difficulties, in order to prevent future problems.

El presente estudio analiza la correlación entre la empatía y el razonamiento moral prosocial en una muestra de 105 estudiantes de psicología de una universidad privada de Lima, con edades correspondientes entre los 17 y los 28 años. El razonamiento moral prosocial es medido mediante el test Una Medida Objetiva del Razonamiento Moral Prosocial (PROM-R) elaborado por Carlo, Eisenberg y Knight en 1992; mientras que la empatía se evalúa a través del Índice de Reactividad Interpersonal (IRI) creado por Mark Davis en 1980, ambos test adaptados para la presente investigación. Los resultados obtenidos indican de forma general que existe una correlación positiva significativa entre ambos constructos estudiados, correlacionando de forma significativa los niveles Estereotipado e Internalizado del razonamiento moral prosocial con los factores Toma de Perspectiva, Fantasía y Preocupación Empática, pertenecientes a la empatía. Además, no se evidencia diferencias significativas con respecto al sexo para el razonamiento moral prosocial, mientras que en la empatía existen únicamente diferencias significativas de acuerdo al sexo en la subescala Fantasía. The present study examines the correlation between empathy and prosocial moral reasoning in a sample of 105 psychology students from a private university in Lima, with corresponding ages between 17 and 28 years old. The prosocial moral reasoning is measured by the test Prosocial Moral Reasoning Objective Measure (PROM-R) developed by Carlo, Eisenberg and Knight in 1992; while empathy is evaluated through the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) created by Mark Davis in 1980, both tests adapted to the present investigation. The general results indicates that there is a significant positive correlation between both constructs studied, correlating significantly the levels Stereotyped and Internalized of the prosocial moral reasoning with the factors Perspective-Taking, Fantasy and Empathic Concern, belonging to empathy. No significant difference was found in regard to sex for prosocial moral reasoning, while in empathy exists only significant differences according to sex in the Fantasy subscale.

The present study assesses the effects of extraversion, empathy, and humor style on humor score, while specifically focusing on the introverted sense of humor. 129 participants recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk took a survey consisting of the extraversion subscale of the Ten Item Short Version of the Big Five Inventory, the Humor Styles Questionnaire, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. The study supported previous findings in which extraversion positively relates to humor such that extraverts reported a greater usage of humor than did introverts. More specifically, both extraverts and introverts use adaptive humor styles (i.e. affiliative and self-enhancing humor) more than they use maladaptive humor styles (i.e. aggressive and self-defeating humor). Additionally, empathy and humor style interact such that empathetic individuals favor adaptive humor styles while unempathetic individuals have relatively heightened usage of the maladaptive humor styles while still primarily using the adaptive humor styles, no matter the level of extraversion.