ERIC Number: EJ989162
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Oct
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0140-1971
EISSN: N/A
Embeddedness and Empathy: How the Social Network Shapes Adolescents' Social Understanding
Wolfer, Ralf; Cortina, Kai S.; Baumert, Jurgen
Journal of Adolescence, v35 n5 p1295-1305 Oct 2012
Based on theories of social-cognitive development, the present study investigated the yet unknown social structure that underlies the concept of empathy in adolescence. A total of 3.159 seventh graders (13.67 years, 56% girls) from 166 school classes participated by providing information on empathy, related psychosocial factors, and friendship patterns. Social network analyses were used to measure a comprehensive representation of adolescents' social environment by covering individual, group, class, and school characteristics. Multilevel models revealed that individual characteristics as well as contextual factors predict adolescents' level of empathy. Findings indicate that empathy is mirrored in the social structure of adolescents supporting the hypothesis that social demands, which continuously grow with the amount of embeddedness, shape their social understanding. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Individual Characteristics, Adolescents, Social Environment, Empathy, Friendship, Cognitive Development, Social Networks, Social Structure, Grade 7, Social Cognition, Social Development, Student Attitudes, Network Analysis, Institutional Characteristics
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 7
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A