Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is associated with an assortment of characteristics that undermine interpersonal functioning. A lack of empathy is often cited as the primary distinguishing ...feature of NPD. However, clinical presentations of NPD suggest that empathy is not simply deficient in these individuals, but dysfunctional and subject to a diverse set of motivational and situational factors. Consistent with this presentation, research illustrates that empathy is multidimensional, involving 2 distinct emotional and cognitive processes associated with a capacity to respectively understand and respond to others' mental and affective states. The goal of this practice review is to bridge the gap between our psychobiological understanding of empathy and its clinical manifestations in NPD. We present 3 case studies highlighting the variability in empathic functioning in people with NPD. Additionally, we summarize the literature on empathy and NPD, which largely associates this disorder with deficient emotional empathy, and dysfunctional rather than deficient cognitive empathy. Because this research is limited, we also present empathy-based findings for related syndromes (borderline and psychopathy). Given the complexity of narcissism and empathy, we propose that multiple relationships can exist between these constructs. Ultimately, by recognizing the multifaceted relationship between empathy and narcissism, and moving away from an all or nothing belief that those with NPD simply lack empathy, therapists may better understand narcissistic patients' behavior and motivational structure.
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CEKLJ, FFLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PEFLJ
This study sought to investigate if a short mindfulness induction can augment empathic functioning, while taking into account the role of the personality traits. Analysis of 102 participants suggests ...that a short mindfulness induction is most effective in improving cognitive empathy in individuals with lower trait Conscientiousness and Extraversion scores. No evidence was found for a moderation effect with regard to affective empathy. Results of this study are incongruent with studies utilising self-report measures of empathic functioning, but congruent with both predictions from personality theory as well as studies not assessing empathy through self-report measures. Implications for understanding the relationship between personality and mindfulness, as well as appropriate assessment procedures, are discussed.
•The use of a short mindfulness induction to augment empathy is investigated•Consideration is given to moderation effect of the big five personality traits•Increase of cognitive empathy most apparent with lower conscientiousness and extraversion scores•No evidence of moderation effect with respect to affective empathy•Findings consistent with theory, counter to self-report empathy measures
Rationale
The gut-brain axis includes bidirectional communication between intestinal microbiota and the central nervous system.
Bifidobacterium
and
Lactobacillus
spp. have been implicated in ...psychological health, such as depression, through various pathways (e.g. inflammation). Research needs a better understanding of direct and indirect effects through examination of psychological factors that make people susceptible to, or offer protection against, depression.
Objective
This study investigated the relationships between gut microbiota, inflammation and psychological risk and resilience factors for depression.
Methods
Forty participants (13 m/27 f) recruited from the general population completed self-report questionnaires for depression, self-judgement, over-identification and affective and cognitive empathy. Faecal and blood samples were taken to assay microbiota (
Bifidobacterium
;
Lactobacillus
spp.) and pro-inflammatory molecules (C-reactive protein, CRP and interleukin-6, IL-6), respectively.
Results
Hierarchical regression analyses (controlling for sex, age and the shared variance of risk and resilience factors) showed that (i) cognitive depression was significantly predicted by negative self-judgement and reduced cognitive empathy; (ii) abundance of
Lactobacillus
spp. was directly related to positive self-judgement but only indirectly to cognitive depression and lower affective empathy (both through self-judgement); and (iii) CRP was the strongest predictor of reduced cognitive empathy, with suppression effects seen for age (negative) and IL-6 (positive) after controlling for CRP.
Conclusions
Findings suggest that lactobacilli and inflammation may be differentially associated with mood disorder via brain mechanisms underpinning self-judgement and cognitive empathy, respectively. Further trials investigating interventions to increase
Lactobacillus
spp. in depression would benefit from direct measures of self-judgement and affective empathic distress, whilst those that aim to reduce inflammation should investigate cognitive empathy.
This study tested the foundational affective empathy model, suggesting a sequential affective and cognitive empathy process on compassion fatigue. The sample consisted of 506 Korean adults (253 ...women, 253 men). The results confirmed that affective empathy was a significant predictor of compassion fatigue increase. In addition, affective empathy was partially mediated by cognitive empathy, and cognitive empathy conversely predicted a significant compassion fatigue decrease. Furthermore, the moderation effect of emotion regulation capability confirmed that the significant increase in compassion fatigue predicted by affective empathy was exacerbated by a moderation effect of emotion regulation capability. Also, analysis of the conditional indirect effect of affective empathy has confirmed that the decrease in compassion fatigue predicted by affective empathy, mediated by cognitive empathy, was reinforced by a moderation effect of emotion regulation capability. Thus, the current study verified the relationship between empathy and compassion fatigue in the foundational affective empathy model. Additionally, the present study confirmed both exacerbating and mitigating effects of emotion regulation on compassion fatigue.
•Increase in affective empathy predicts increase in compassion fatigue.•Increase in cognitive empathy predicts decrease in compassion fatigue.•Emotion regulation exacerbates compassion fatigue when used with affective empathy.•Emotion regulation mitigates compassion fatigue when used with cognitive empathy.
Empathy is an often researched but highly ambiguous concept. This makes research on empathy prone to miscommunication and misinterpretation. Careful reflection on what is meant by empathy in a ...certain context is essential. As the scope of the variety of possible meanings of empathy one could encounter is vast, such reflection would benefit from a guide that maps out this terrain of conceptual confusion. To this end, the present study maps out the diversity of the meaning of empathy within the scope of autism research. The autism context is of particular relevance as autism is often linked to empathy in research, and crucially, how one understands empathy shapes theories of autism as well as the societal perception of autism. An interdisciplinary literature search was conducted to collect different conceptualizations of empathy used in autism research. In 111 articles, 31 unique definitions of empathy were used. This diversity can be accounted for by a list of 12 dimensions along which the meaning of empathy can diverge, found in this study. These dimensions pinpoint which aspects of empathy require attention and reflection when engaging with empathy in research. It can be used as a practical framework to reflect on empathy in the design and documentation of research, defending methodological decisions, and interpreting the work of others. Furthermore, this study discusses various, and some worrisome, implications for findings and theories in autism research.
Purpose/significance The aim is to provide some inspirations for researchers and health educators in the field of user information behavior, and to provide theoretical background and basis for the ...crossover study of empathy and information behavior. Method/process This atudy uses a systematic review method to sort out 77 foreign empirical studies related to the empathy theory, sort out and analyze the relevant application and research status, and summarize the literature content combined with the empathy theory. Result/Conclusion The information behavior research framework of user empathy is proposed, and the information behavior of user empathy is studied from the three dimensions of user, information and technology. With the application of empathy in user information behavior, the information function of empathy will also be explored and developed.
The understanding of empathy from a neuroscientific perspective has recently developed quickly, with numerous functional MRI studies associating different brain regions with different components of ...empathy. A recent meta-analysis across 40 fMRI studies revealed that affective empathy is most often associated with increased activity in the insula, whereas cognitive empathy is most often associated with activity in the midcingulate cortex and adjacent dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (MCC/dmPFC). To date, however, it remains unclear whether individual differences in brain morphometry in these regions underlie different dispositions in affective and cognitive empathy. In order to test this hypothesis, voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to examine the extent to which gray matter density predicts scores from an established empathy measure (Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy; QCAE). One hundred and seventy-six participants completed the QCAE and underwent MRI in order to acquire a high-resolution, three-dimensional T1-weighted structural scans. A factor analysis of the questionnaire scores revealed two distinct factors of empathy, affective and cognitive, which confirmed the validity of the QCAE. VBM results revealed gray matter density differences associated with the distinct components of empathy. Higher scores on affective empathy were associated with greater gray matter density in the insula cortex and higher scores of cognitive empathy were associated with greater gray matter density in the MCC/dmPFC. Taken together, these results provide validation for empathy being a multi-component construct, suggesting that affective and cognitive empathy are differentially represented in brain morphometry as well as providing convergent evidence for empathy being represented by different neural and structural correlates.
•Voxel-based morphometry was performed with empathy scores of 176 participants.•Greater gray matter density in insula was associated with affective empathy scores.•Greater gray matter density in dmPFC was associated with cognitive empathy scores.•Empathy is a multi-component construct.•Individual differences in empathy are subserved by anatomical differences.
•Spirituality and/or religion frequently play an important role in music therapy.•Music therapists navigate relations between their religious/spiritual beliefs and empathy.•Music therapists can feel ...pulled between religious and therapeutic prerogatives.•Spiritually resonant empathy and transpersonal empathy can occur in music therapy.
This paper reports on the findings of a study with 14 music therapists, exploring how they experienced (a) the interface/overlap between their own religious and/or spiritual beliefs and those of their clients; (b) the navigation of this interface/overlap within music therapy practice; and (c) whether/how they used empathy when engaging in this navigation. Four main findings were identified through thematic analysis of in-depth interviews. Firstly, according to these music therapists, spirituality and/or religion frequently play an important role within music therapy sessions. Secondly, these music therapists described cognitive and affective empathic experiences with clients as well as experiences of spiritually resonant empathy and transpersonal empathy. Thirdly, they identified relationships between their own religious and spiritual journeys, their experiences of identifying and/or not identifying with their clients, and their experiences of empathy. Fourthly, the intersections between what they felt they “should” do as music therapists and what they felt they “should” do in light of their religious/spiritual orientations informed their styles of practice and elicited challenges in the therapeutic process which they used particular strategies to navigate.
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