THE STRUCTURE OF EMPATHY IN JAPANESE ADOLESCENTS: CONSTRUCTION AND EXAMINATION OF AN EMPATHY SCALE

Abstract

In this study, a “Revised Empathy Scale” was constructed by using an empathy scale from the previous study (Hashimoto & Shiomi, 2000). A questionnaire consisting of 30 items on empathy and the Shimoda Personality Inventory (SPI) were administered to a total of 870 subjects (466 university and 404 high school students). Through factor analyses, four factors were extracted for the empathy scale. The four factors were named the “Cannot feel others' positive feelings,” the “Can feel others’ positive feelings,” the “Can feel others' negative feelings,” and the “Cannot feel others' negative feelings,” respectively. Their reliability and validity were confirmed. The characteristics of empathy in adolescents were clarified by the scale's relationship with the characteristics of the SPI.