An investigation of the divergences and convergences of trait empathy across two cultures

ABSTRACT

The extent to which individuals with a variety of cultural backgrounds differ in empathic responsiveness is unknown. This article describes the differences in trait empathy in one independent and one interdependent society (i.e., the US and Iran, respectively). The analysis of data collected from self-reported questionnaires answered by 326 adults indicated a significant difference in the cognitive component of empathy concerning participants’ affiliation to either egocentric or socio-centric society: Iranian participants with interdependent cultural norms, reported higher cognitive empathy compared to American participants who share independent cultural norms. In line with previous studies, gender differences were observed in all subscales of questionnaires, except the Empathy Quotient (EQ). Female participants demonstrated more empathy than males in both samples. Implications for understanding the cross-cultural differences of various components of empathy are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• cultural differences
• cognitive empathy
• affective empathy
• personality trait

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Parvaneh Yaghoubi Jami

Parvaneh Yaghoubi Jmai is a doctoral student in Educational Psychology and Educational Neuroscience at the University of Alabama. Her research interests include cultural differences in empathic behavior, personality and social development in adolescence, social neuroscience, and personality assessment. She is currently working on neural correlates of people’s empathetic responses in social settings and evaluating the psychometric properties of psychological questionnaires.

Behzad Mansouri

Behzad Mansouri is a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Alabama. His research interests include socio-cultural basis of behavior, socio-cultural foundation of identity and agency, psycholinguistics, and cognitive neuroscience.

Stephen J. Thoma

Stephen J Thoma is a Professor in Educational Psychology at the University of Alabama. His research interests include moral judgment development, moral education, and personality and social development in late adolescence and youth.

Hyemin Han

Hyemin Han is an Assistant Professor in Educational Psychology and Educational Neuroscience at the University of Alabama. His research interests include moral development, moral education, social neuroscience, and educational interventions.