The potential and limitations of empathy in changing health-relevant affect, cognition and behaviour

IF 10.1 2区心理学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL European Review of Social Psychology Pub Date : 2021-08-23 DOI:10.1080/10463283.2021.1963590

C. Sassenrath, Svenja Diefenbacher, Stefan Pfattheicher, J. Keller

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引用次数: 5

Abstract

ABSTRACT Global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the impending climate change require each and every one of us to perform long-term self-restrictive behaviours, implying personal costs, for the sake of vulnerable others and future generations. We argue that empathy – conceptualised as other-oriented moral emotional process – can impact how we think, feel and act towards others in times of such disruptive global developments. Our research highlights how and under which circumstances empathy fosters solidarity with others in need. We review our findings which corroborate empathy’s potential in directly changing health-relevant behaviour (such as hand hygiene behaviour or adherence to COVID-19 pre-emptive measures) and as well as pro-environmental actions, which serve to protect others’ well-being through self-discipline and self-restriction. Furthermore, we also review and discuss research which indicates potential boundary conditions of empathy-induced prosocial responses to the plight of vulnerable individuals.

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移情在改变健康相关影响、认知和行为方面的潜力和局限性

摘要新冠肺炎大流行或即将到来的气候变化等全球挑战要求我们每个人为了脆弱的他人和子孙后代采取长期的自我约束行为，这意味着个人代价。我们认为，同理心——概念化为以他人为导向的道德情感过程——可以影响我们在这种破坏性的全球发展时期对他人的思考、感受和行为。我们的研究强调了同理心是如何以及在何种情况下促进与其他需要帮助的人的团结的。我们回顾了我们的研究结果，这些研究结果证实了同情心在直接改变与健康相关的行为（如手卫生行为或坚持新冠肺炎预防措施）以及通过自律和自我约束保护他人福祉的环保行动方面的潜力。此外，我们还回顾和讨论了一些研究，这些研究表明移情诱导的亲社会反应对弱势个体困境的潜在边界条件。

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来源期刊

European Review of Social Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL-

CiteScore

15.30

自引率

2.80%

发文量

期刊介绍： The "European Review of Social Psychology (ERSP)" is a distinguished international journal that operates under the patronage of the European Association of Social Psychology. It serves as a platform for comprehensive, theory-driven reviews that cover the broad spectrum of social psychology. The journal is open to submissions from authors worldwide and is guided by a prestigious international editorial board. ERSP is particularly interested in publishing reviews that reflect the author's own research program, as demonstrated by their publications in leading peer-reviewed journals. The journal values theoretical contributions that are grounded in a substantial empirical foundation, situating the research within the broader context of existing literature and offering a synthesis that goes beyond the individual articles. In addition to these in-depth reviews, ERSP also welcomes conventional reviews and meta-analyses, further enriching the journal's offerings. By focusing on high-quality, evidence-based research, ERSP contributes significantly to the advancement of knowledge in social psychology and fosters a deeper understanding of human social behavior across cultures and societies.