The Basic Empathy Scale in adults (BES-A): factor structure of a revised form

Initially thought of as a unitary ability, empathy has been more recently considered to consist of 2 components (i.e., an affective and a cognitive component). The Basic Empathy Scale (BES) is a tool that has been used to assess empathy in young people and adolescents on the basis of this dual-component conception (Jolliffe & Farrington, 2006). Recent studies of empathy have led to it being defined as underpinned by 3 components, namely, emotional contagion, emotional disconnection, and cognitive empathy. The aims of this study were (a) to validate the BES in Adults and (b) to compare the different conceptions of empathy. Three hundred seventy French adults took part in the study, and 160 of them filled out complementary scales measuring empathy, alexithymia, and emotional consciousness. The confirmatory factor analyses showed that the 3-factor model was the model that was best able to account for the data. Complementary tools confirmed the relationships previously observed between empathy as assessed with the BES and other scales assessing emotional processes. The results of this study make it clear that empathy can be seen as process-dependent. This conception of empathy, which is based on 3 factors, is consistent with the current, more integrated view of empathy. The implications of this conception and the opportunity to use the 2 or 3 factors of the BES in adults are presented in the discussion.