This article is a review of some of the diverse literature on the psychological concept of empathy. The author concludes that knowledge of the empathic response is basic to an understanding of the process of communication and is necessary for developing more effective techniques of mass communication.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AdamsH. F., “The Good Judge of Personality,” Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 22:173–81 (1927).
2.
AllportG. W., Personality: A Psychological Interpretation (New York: Henry Holt, 1937).
3.
AlpertH., “The Relationship of Empathy to Reading Comprehension in Selected Content Fields,” Dissertation Abstracts, 153:2093 (1955).
4.
BeckerH., “Some Forms of Sympathy: A Phenomenological Analysis,” Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 26:58–68 (1931).
5.
BellG. B.HallH. E.Jr., “The Relationship Between Leadership and Empathy,” Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 49:156–7 (1954).
6.
BellG. B.StolperR., “An Attempt at Validation of the Empathy Test,” Journal of Applied Psychology, 39:442–3 (1955).
7.
BenderI. E.HastorfA. H., “The Perception of Persons: Forecasting Another Person's Responses on Three Personality Scales,” Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 45:556–61 (1950).
8.
BieriJames, “Cognitive Complexity-Simplicity and Predictive Behavior,” Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 51:263–8 (1955).
9.
BoringE. G., A History of Experimental Psychology (New York: Appleton-Century, 1929).
10.
CattellR. B., “Measurement Versus Intuition in Applied Psychology,” Psychological Review, 32:552–69 (1932).
11.
The Commission on Freedom of the Press, A Free and Responsible Press (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1947).
12.
CottrellL. S.Jr.DymondR. F., “The Empathic Responses: A Neglected Field for Research,” Psychiatry, 12:355–9 (1949).
13.
CronbachL. J., “Processes Affecting Scores on ‘Understanding of Others’ and ‘Assumed Similarity’,” Psychological Bulletin, 52:177–93 (May 1955).
DymondR. F., “Interpersonal Perception and Marital Happiness,” Canadian Journal of Psychology, 8:164–71 (1954).
16.
DymondR. F., “Personality and Empathy,” Journal of Consulting Psychology, 14:343–50 (1950).
17.
DymondR. F., “A Scale for Measurement of Empathic Ability,” Journal of Consulting Psychology, 13:127–33 (1949).
18.
DymondR. F.HughesA.RaabeV. L., “Measurable Changes in Empathy With Age,” Journal of Consulting Psychology, 16:202–6 (1952).
19.
FreudS., Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, transl. by StracheyJ. (London: Hogarth, 1948).
20.
GageN. L., “Accuracy of Social Perception and Effectiveness in Interpersonal Relationships,” Journal of Personality, 22:128–41 (1953).
21.
GardinerH. M. (Norman)MetcalfR. C.Beebe-CenterJ. G., Feeling and Emotion (New York: American Book Company, 1937).
22.
GrossmanD., “The Construction and Validation of Two Insight Inventories,” Journal of Consulting Psychology, 15:109–14 (1951).
23.
GuilfordJ. P., “Intellectual Resources And Their Values As Seen By Scientists,” The Third (1959) University of Utah Conference on the Creative Scientific Talent, pp. 128–145).
24.
HalpernH. M., “Empathy, Similarity, and Self-Satisfaction,” Journal of Consulting Psychology, 19:449–52 (1955).
25.
HalpernH. M., “Predictive Empathy and the Study of Values,” Journal of Consulting Psychology, 21:104 (1957).
26.
HastorfA. H.BenderI. E., “A Caution Respecting the Measurement of Empathic Ability,” Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 47:574–6 (1952).
27.
HawkesG. R.EgbertR. L., “Personal Values and the Empathic Response: Their Inter-Relationships,” Journal of Educational Psychology, 45:469–76 (1954).
28.
HayesK. J.HayesC., “Imitation in a Home-Raised Chimpanzee,” Journal of Comparative Physiological Psychology, 45:450–9 (1952).
29.
HempelC. G.OppenheimP., “The Logic of Explanation,” Philosophy of Science, 15:135–75 (1948).
30.
HoskinsR. G., The Biology of Schizophrenia (New York: Norton, 1946).
31.
JarrardL. E., “Empathy: The Concept and Industrial Applications,” Personnel Psychology, 9:157–67 (1956).
32.
KerrW. A.SperoffB. J., “Validation and Evaluation of the Empathy Test,” Journal of General Psychology, 50:269–76 (1954).
33.
KoestlerArthur, Insight and Outlook (New York: Macmillan, 1949).
34.
KohlerW., The Mentality of Apes (New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1927).
35.
LernerDaniel, The Passing of Traditional Society (Glencoe: Free Press, 1958).
36.
LindgrenH. C.RobinsonJ., “An Evaluation of Dymond's Test of Insight and Empathy,” Journal of Consulting Psychology, 17:172–6 (1953).
37.
LindzeyGardner, Handbook of Social Psychology, Vol. 1 (Cambridge: Addison-Wesley, 1954).
38.
LippsTheodor, Lettfaden* der Psychologie* (Leipzig: Engelmann, 1909).
39.
LorgeIrving, “The Psychologist's Contribution to the Communication of Ideas,” in LymanBryson, (ed.), The Communication of Ideas (New York: Harpers, 1948).
40.
MaughamW. S., Points of View (London: Heinemann, 1958).
41.
MeadG. H., “A Behavioristic Account of the Significant Symbol,” Journal of Philosophy, 19:157–63 (1922).
42.
MorrisC., Signs, Language and Behavior (New York: Prentice-Hall, 1946).
43.
NormanR. D., “The Interrelationships Among Acceptance-Rejection, Self-Other Identity, Insight Into Self, and Realistic Perception of Others,” Journal of Social Psychology, 37:205–35 (1953).
44.
NormanR. D.AinsworthP., “The Relationships Among Projection, Empathy, Reality, and Adjustment, Operationally Defined,” Journal of Consulting Psychology, 18:53–8 (1954).
45.
OverstreetH. A., The Mature Mind (New York: Norton, 1950).
46.
RemmersH. H., Introduction to Opinion and Attitude Measurement (New York: Harpers, 1954).
47.
RemmersH. H., “A Quantitative Index of Social Psychological Empathy,” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 20:161–5 (1950).
48.
RibotTheodore, The Psychology of the Emotions, transl. (London: Scott, 1911).
49.
RuckmickC. A., The Psychology of Feeling and Emotion (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1936).
50.
SantillanaG.ZilselE., The Development of Rationalism and Empiricism (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1941).
51.
SchelerMax, The Nature of Sympathy, transl. by PeterHeath (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1954).
52.
SiegelA. I., “An Experimental Evaluation of the Sensitivity of the Empathy Test,” Journal of Applied Psychology, 38:222–3 (1954).
53.
SmithAdam, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (Boston: Wells and Lily, 1817).
54.
SperoffB. J., “Empathy and Role Reversal as Factors in Communication,” Journal of Social Psychology, 41:163–5 (1955).
55.
SperoffB. J., “Empathy and Role Reversal as Factors in Industrial Harmony,” Journal of Social Psychology, 37:117–20 (1953).
56.
StewartDavid, Preface to Empathy (New York: Philosophical Library, 1956).
57.
SullivanH. S., Conceptions of Modern Psychiatry (Washington: W. A. White Psychiatric Foundation, 1947).
58.
TaftR., “The Ability to Judge People,” Psychological Bulletin, 52:1–23 (1955).
59.
ThompsonC. W.BradwayK., “The Teaching of Psychotherapy Through Content-Free Interviews,” Journal of Consulting Psychology, 14:321–3 (1950).
60.
TobolskiF. P.KerrW. A., “Predictive Value of the Empathy Test in Automobile Salesmanship,” Journal of Applied Psychology, 5:310–11 (1952).
61.
Van ZelstR. h., “Empathy Test Scores of Union Leaders,” Journal of Applied Psychology, 36:293–5 (1952).
62.
VernonP. E., “Some Characteristics of the Good Judge of Personality,” Journal of Social Psychology, 4:42–57 (1933).
63.
WaltonW. E., “Empathic Responses in Children,” Psychological Monographs, 48:40–67 (1936).
64.
WolfR.Murrayh. A., “An Experiment in Judging Personalities,” Journal of Psychology, 3:346–65 (1937).
65.
WorringerWilhelm, Abstraction and Empathy, transl. by MichaelBullock (New York: International Universities, 1953).
