Empathy as a Mediator of Attitudes Toward Infidelity Among College Students

This study examined attitudes about infidelity among college students. Due to increased sexual opportunities and normalization of casual sex in the college campus environment, commitment level is generally more likely to be lower than for post-college-aged individuals. While lower commitment may contribute to infidelity among college students, we aimed to more closely examine the relative role of individual characteristics. The literature has shown that individuals with certain personality traits, such as narcissism and an insecure attachment style, are more likely to commit infidelity, but less is known about the interaction between sex and these traits and about possible underlying mechanisms that account for why some people resist the temptation to be unfaithful and others don't. Working under the assumption that higher empathy might be the underlying mechanism that enables individuals to resist the temptation to be unfaithful, we demonstrated that empathy partially mediates the relationship between sex, narcissism, entitlement, attachment style and attitudes toward infidelity in college students. Thus, college students who are securely attached, low in narcissism, and high in empathy are more likely to oppose sexual behavior outside of their dating relationships despite the fact that their commitment level may be relatively low.