By: Andreea-Maria Chiriță
Adolescence is a crucial period for emotional growth, during which developing emotional resilience plays a key role in reducing psychological risks associated with stress or major life changes.
Emotional resilience, a subset of psychological resilience, refers to an individual’s ability to foster positive emotions and recover from negative ones when encountering stress (Davidson R.J., 2000). Studies have established a strong connection between emotional resilience and mental health, positioning it as a vital component of well-being. Zhu (Zhu Z.M., 2020) highlighted that low emotional resilience often contributes to mood disorders, while Davidson (Davidson R.J., 2003) noted that individuals with low resilience are more prone to negative emotions during challenges. In contrast, those with high emotional resilience show better stress resistance and faster recovery (Davis M.C., 2009). Research by Dolgova and Rokitskaya underscored the adaptive benefits of emotional resilience, which enables individuals to manage internal emotions and external pressures effectively, enhancing their problem-solving abilities under stress (Dolgova V.I., Rokitskaya, 2009). Therefore, strengthening emotional resilience improves one’s capacity to cope with stressful situations.
This complex construct involves various elements, including empathy, self-efficacy, and social support (Grant L., Kinman G., 2014). Among these, empathy’s role in enhancing emotional resilience and promoting mental health warrants further exploration. Previous studies (Park K.H., Kim D.H., Kim S.K., Yi Y.H., Jeong J.H., Chae J., Hwang J., Roh H., 2015, Wang W.C., Wu X.C., 2020, Devoldre I., Davis M.H., Verhofstadt L.L., Buysse A, 2016) highlight a strong connection between empathy and social engagement. Fu et al. (Fu W., Wang C., Chai H., 2022) observed that individuals with higher empathy are better at understanding emotions, making them more likely to gain assistance and support from friends, family, and the broader community. Similarly, Cai et al. (Cai C.T., Fan Y.P., 2023), in research involving nursing staff, found that greater family support correlates with higher levels of empathy. Furthermore, participation in social group activities, a key source of social support, is closely linked to empathy. Wu et al. (Wu X., Lu X., Zhang H., Wang X., Kong Y., Hu L., 2020) also demonstrated this connection, noting a significant association between long-term ballroom dance training and enhanced empathy.
To better understand the multifaceted nature of empathy, it can be categorized into:
1. Affective empathy, also known as emotional empathy, is the ability to respond with an appropriate emotion to another person's mental state. It is rooted in emotional contagion, where one is influenced by another's emotional or arousal state (Shamay-Tsoory SG, Aharon-Peretz J, Perry D, March 2009). Affective empathy can be further divided into:
Empathic concern: Feeling sympathy and compassion for others in response to their suffering (Rogers K, Dziobek I, Hassenstab J, Wolf OT, Convit A ,April 2007).
Personal distress: Experiencing discomfort or anxiety when witnessing another's suffering. However, there is debate over whether personal distress is truly a form of empathy or a separate response. Developmentally, infants initially respond to others' distress with distress themselves but, by age two, begin to show other-oriented behaviours such as helping, comforting, and sharing (Minio-Paluello I, Lombardo MV, Chakrabarti B, Wheelwright S, Baron-Cohen S ,December 2009, Smith A, December 2009).
Affective mentalizing: Involves interpreting cues such as body language, facial expressions, and situational context to better understand another's emotional state (Segal EA, Gerdes KE, Lietz CA, Wagaman MA, Geiger JM ,2017)
2. Cognitive empathy is the ability to comprehend another's perspective or mental state. Terms like empathic accuracy, social cognition, perspective-taking, theory of mind, and mentalizing are often used interchangeably, though there is limited research directly comparing these concepts (Rogers K, Dziobek I, Hassenstab J, Wolf OT, Convit A , April, 2007). Cognitive empathy includes:
Perspective-taking: Naturally adopting others' psychological viewpoints (Radzvilavicius AL, Stewart AJ, Plotkin JB, April, 2019)
Fantasy: The tendency to emotionally connect with fictional characters (Rogers K, Dziobek I, Hassenstab J, Wolf OT, Convit A, April, 2007).
Tactical (or strategic) empathy: Using perspective-taking intentionally to achieve specific goals (Allyn D ,November 30, 2012).
Emotion regulation: The ability to manage emotional contagion, enabling one to empathize without becoming overwhelmed by the emotions of others (McLaren K, 2013)
Empathy is more than just an emotion. It’s a state of being. With its help, we could comprehend the emotions of others, we could start diminishing hatred, and we could start appreciating each other’s dreams and what they love.
References:
Wang, J., Yang, Q., Yu, X., & Hu, L. (2024). Effects of adolescent empathy on emotional resilience: The mediating role of depression and self-efficacy and the moderating effect of social activities. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 10968163. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.10968163
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