Psychology Essay Example: Affective Empathy

Previous studies have shown that higher levels of affective empathy may act as a risk factor for developing internalizing symptoms. MacDonald and Price conducted a study on college students to determine the correlation between emotional regulation, affective and cognitive empathy, and internalizing psychopathology (depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms). The data suggests that individuals with higher levels of affective empathy experience greater difficulties in emotion regulation. It also suggests that individuals with greater difficulty regulating emotions are positively associated with higher levels of internalizing symptoms. However, there was no association between cognitive empathy and internalizing symptoms. These results suggest that emotion regulation skills in college students may be a protective factor to mitigate the development of internalizing symptoms in young adults who demonstrate high levels of affective empathy.

McDonald and Price selected a large sample size of 600 participants and gave out standardized questionnaires and rating scales. These tests included: a demographic questionnaire, a cognitive and affective empathy questionnaire, the difficulties in emotional regulation scale (DERS), and the depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS). The data was then analyzed by SPSS. By having a large sample size and standardized testing, it increases reliability and will have more accurate results and identify outliers.

Despite having such positive correlations in this study, there is a large margin of error. Of the 600 individuals who participated in the study, 82% of those individuals were female Caucasians and 48% of the individuals were freshmen. McDonald and Price examined these possible covariates that could influence the results. The analysis determined a positive correlation of freshmen having higher levels of emotional reactivity and internalizing symptoms. In addition, females reported a higher level of empathy, emotional dysregulation, and internalizing symptoms than men. Because other variables are affecting the results, the study displays low internal validity. 

Another factor that could play a major role in the outcome is that this study was announced in psychology classes and individuals who participated in the study gained extra credit. McDonald and Price did not take into account the possibility of a higher ratio of females to males in psychology classes as well as the likelihood of females becoming more interested in extra credit. The sample is not representative of the total population of university students but rather a convenience sampling. This increases bias, and decreases the reliability and generalizability of the results. Because this was a correlational study, one cannot state that affective empathy causes emotion regulation difficulties and internalizing symptoms. Perhaps individuals with internalizing symptoms are more likely to exhibit affective empathy that may cause emotion dysregulation and empathic fatigue. More research would have to be conducted to determine which construct occurred first: empathy, emotional dysregulation, or the internalizing symptoms. 

Social psychology states that the presence of another individual’s thoughts or feelings influences our emotions and behaviors. In the McDonald and Price study, it focused on empathy and how it is the ability to understand and adopt another person’s perspective by imaging oneself in that person's situation. That person will experience the thoughts and emotions of that individual as if they were actually having those thoughts and emotions. This is mainly due to mirror neurons responding, perceiving, and experiencing the intentions and actions of others. If an individual has higher empathy, they are able to read other people’s emotions easier which ultimately can influence how they interact with that individual. Social and environmental situations play a powerful part in a person’s emotions, and in the case of the study, a person who has affective empathy and more intune with other people’s negative emotions is more likely to be at risk for developing anxiety and depression. It is easy to assume that someone is anxious or depressed because of their own doings. However, this will be falling into the fundamental attribution error. The study supports the idea that an individual who excessively empathizes and embodies the negative emotions of another individual may experience symptoms of depression or anxiety. Although they might not have a reason to be feeling certain emotions, their environment and the influence of others can cause that person to take on the emotions of someone else, whether healthy or unhealthy.