Training older people in empathy: effects on empathy, attitudes, and self-exploration

This study examined the effect of empathy training on empathy, self-exploration, and key attitudes in older people. The twenty-eight older people who took part were randomly assigned to one of three groups: empathy training, discussion, or control. For eight weeks the training group practiced empathy as a helping skill. During this time, one control group discussed the problems of older people; the other control group met only to take the tests. Unlike the control groups, the training group improved significantly on three measures of empathy. The training group also showed significant gains in self-exploration. These gains in skills brought no change in attitudes. The findings show that older people can change a portion of their interpersonal style and learn new ways of helping.