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Empathy and defending in response to bullying episodes in pre-adolescence

University of British Columbia

Previous research has documented overall links between feelings of empathy and student efforts to defend victims during bullying episodes. The purpose of this study was to explore how different facets of empathy (affective, cognitive, active) predict ten different categories of defending behaviours, and whether those relationships varied by sex. Included are the often-neglected concepts of empathic anger and the nascent concept of active empathy. Additionally, defender behaviours extend beyond those typically included in the field. Students in grades four to seven (N = 269, females = 144) from diverse ethnic backgrounds completed newly developed, self-report questionnaires about their feelings of empathy and experiences with defending within a larger project investigating school climate and bullying. A series of multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine relationships between sex, aspects of empathy, and their interactions (sex x empathy) in predicting ten different types of defending behaviour. Findings showed a strong positive and nuanced relationship between different facets of empathy and defending behaviours, relationships that were not evident for other types of bystander behaviours (outsider, assistant/reinforcing). Specifically, reports of higher levels of empathic anger, a type of affective empathy, and perspective taking, one aspect of cognitive empathy, and active empathy were significant in predicting defending. The importance of each facet of empathy in predicting defending behaviour varied as a function of the type of defending considered. The current study highlights the need to consider specific types of empathy when exploring complex, social interactions, as well as focusing interventions to higher-level forms of empathy to influence social change and defending.

Text

2020-11-19

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/76551

School and Applied Child Psychology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/