Research On Perceived Similarity Affecting Empathy And Altruistic Behavior For High School Students

Whether perceived similarity will affect empathy is widely drawn attention by psychologists all the while. The purpose of the paper is to explore the functions of perceived similarity in influencing empathy and altruistic behavior, which is conduced to develop the mental health education and the moral education. In Exp 1, with 60 senior high school students as subjects, and Empathic Response Scale and ISO Scale as instruments, single variable between-subject factorial design was adopted to compare the empathic response and altruistic behaviors under the high perceived similarity group and the low perceived similarity group, to explore the functions of perceived similarity in influencing empathy and altruistic behavior. In Exp 2, with 120 senior high school students as subjects, and Empathic Response Scale and ISO Scale as instruments, 2X2 double variable between-subject factorial design was adopted to explore the functions of perceived similarity and perceived joy in influencing empathy and altruistic behavior. The following results were shown:(1) There were significant differences between the high perceived similarity and the low perceived similarity in empathy. The empathy of the high perceived similarity group was significantly higher than the low perceived similarity group. There were significant differences between the high perceived similarity and the low perceived similarity in altruistic behavior. The altruistic behavior of the high perceived similarity group was significantly higher than the low perceived similarity group. (2)Perspective taking, perceived need and perceived similarity were all important factors of empathy. Empathy was the important factor of altruistic behavior.(3) There were significant differences between the high perceived joy and the low perceived joy in perceived similarity. The perceived similarity of the high perceived joy group was significantly higher than the low perceived joy group. There were significant differences between the high perceived joy and the low perceived joy in altruistic behavior. The altruistic behavior of the high perceived joy group was significantly higher than the low perceived joy group.(4)Perceived joy could full mediate the relation between perspective taking and perceived similarity. Perceived similarity could partly mediate the relation between perspective taking and empathy. Perspective taking could partly mediate the relation between perceived need and empathy.The affecting empathy mechanism was presented under the results and previous studies. The results supported the Self—Other Merging and the Empathy-Specific Reward, and suggested that the motive of empathy on helping was not always altruism, but either egoism or altruism.