de Wied Minet, Branje Susan J T, Meeus Wim H J
Department of Child and Adolescent Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Aggress Behav. 2007 Jan-Feb;33(1):48-55. doi: 10.1002/ab.20166.
The present study addressed empathy's role in conflict resolution within the context of adolescent same-sex friendship relations. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess dispositional affective empathy and conflict resolution styles (problem solving, conflict engagement, withdrawal and compliance). The data of 307 adolescents (149 boys, 158 girls) were included in a multigroup path analysis with sex as a moderator variable. In agreement with the hypothesis that higher levels of dispositional empathy are associated with more successful conflict management, dispositional affective empathy was found to be positively linked to problem solving and negatively linked to conflict engagement among adolescent boys and girls. Dispositional affective empathy was not related to the two more passive strategies (withdrawal and compliance). Sex differences were demonstrated in empathic tendencies, with girls being more empathic than boys. Sex differences were also established in conflict resolution strategies, with girls using problem solving, withdrawal and compliance more frequently than boys. Both sexes scored equally low on conflict engagement, however, and were found to prefer problem solving to all other conflict resolution strategies. Findings are discussed in terms of previous research on empathy and conflict resolution.
本研究探讨了同理心在青少年同性友谊关系背景下解决冲突中的作用。采用自我报告问卷来评估特质性情感同理心和冲突解决方式（解决问题、冲突参与、回避和顺从）。以性别作为调节变量，对307名青少年（149名男孩，158名女孩）的数据进行多组路径分析。与特质性同理心水平越高与更成功的冲突管理相关这一假设一致，研究发现特质性情感同理心与解决问题呈正相关，与青少年男孩和女孩的冲突参与呈负相关。特质性情感同理心与另外两种更消极的策略（回避和顺从）无关。在同理心倾向方面存在性别差异，女孩比男孩更具同理心。在冲突解决策略方面也存在性别差异，女孩比男孩更频繁地使用解决问题、回避和顺从策略。然而，两性在冲突参与方面的得分同样较低，并且发现他们比起其他冲突解决策略更喜欢解决问题。研究结果将根据先前关于同理心和冲突解决的研究进行讨论。
