ERIC Number: EJ761459
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2003
Pages: 6
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0098-6283
EISSN: N/A
Gender, Empathy, and the Choice of the Psychology Major
Harton, Helen C.; Lyons, Patrick C.
Teaching of Psychology, v30 n1 p19-24 2003
We compared male and female psychology majors to psychology minors and nonmajors to understand the trends in a growing major in which women outnumber men. A total of 451 psychology majors, minors, and nonmajors from 4 institutions completed a questionnaire measuring empathy, career goals, and perceptions of the importance of empathy for therapy. Perspective taking and a desire to enter a helping profession mediated the relation between gender and major, suggesting that personality contributes to the choice of a psychology major. Highly empathic students may choose psychology because they believe that empathy is important for success in clinical and counseling psychology.
Descriptors: Perspective Taking, Majors (Students), Nonmajors, Empathy, Counseling Psychology, Gender Differences, Psychology, College Students, Comparative Analysis, Questionnaires, Correlation, Personality Traits, Career Choice
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. 10 Industrial Avenue, Mahwah, NJ 07430-2262. Tel: 800-926-6579; Tel: 201-258-2200; Fax: 201-236-0072; e-mail: journals@erlbaum.com; Web site: http://www.LEAonline.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A