Empathy, others-concept, and prosocial orientation

The relationship between 56 nursing students' empathy and their others-concept was investigated to establish ties to a broader construct, prosocial orientation. The female Caucasian nursing students were rated for empathy by two clinical instructors. They were also given the Paired Hands Test to assess their others-concept. The students with the higher empathy ratings had more positive others-concepts. The responses of the low empathy group to the Paired Hands Test indicated a much stronger tendency to perceive and interpret social interactions negatively. Besides practical implications for nurses and other helping professionals, these findings have theoretical ramifications as well. Others-concept has been shown previously to be related to a cluster of variables such as positive social behavior and moral judgment. Evidence of the relationship to empathy helps to tie this cluster to the prosocial orientation construct as a base for further research.