Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

1981

Thesis Director

William G. Kirk

Abstract

The study investigated the relationship between the occurrence of stressful events in people's lives and their empathy for other people. Subjects were 74 graduate and undergraduate psychology students at Eastern Illinois University. The subects viewed videotapes of persons describing stressful events such as academic problems, death of a relative or friend, divorce, et cetera. The subjects rated themselves on their empathy for each person. They then completed a questionnaire based on Holmes and Rahe's Social Readjustment Rating Scale. Subjects' empathy scores and life event scores were analyzed using Pearson r correlations. Results of the study confirmed the hypothesis that experienced life stress is significantly related to empathic responding. The hypothesis that there is a significant relationship between the recency, severity and degree of resolution of stressful events and empathic responding was also confirmed The results did not support the hypothesis that specific empathy scores would be positively correlated with the occurrence of specific life events.

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