IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/srbeha/v35y2018i2p216-229.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Systems Thinkers Express an Elevated Capacity for the Allocentric Components of Cognitive and Affective Empathy

Author

Listed:
  • Adam C. Davis
  • Wendy Leppanen
  • Kimberly P. Mularczyk
  • Theresia Bedard
  • Mirella L. Stroink

Abstract

Systems thinking is a cognitive style involving an implicit tendency to perceive the social†ecological world as a multitude of interconnected complex adaptive systems. Previous research has shown that systems thinkers value and care for entities that transcend the self, such as other human beings and nature, signalling a more expansive self†concept. Similarly, individuals high in empathy have an inclusive self†concept, a stronger proenvironmental identity and value entities beyond themselves. The present study examined the hypothesis that systems thinking would share a positive relation with components of cognitive and affective empathy. Results from an online survey of 135 undergraduate students demonstrated that systems thinking shared significant positive correlations with perspective taking, empathic concern and fantasy. However, only perspective taking and empathic concern emerged as unique significant positive predictors of systems thinking. Results suggest that systems thinkers express an elevated capacity for the allocentric components of cognitive and affective empathy. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Adam C. Davis & Wendy Leppanen & Kimberly P. Mularczyk & Theresia Bedard & Mirella L. Stroink, 2018. "Systems Thinkers Express an Elevated Capacity for the Allocentric Components of Cognitive and Affective Empathy," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(2), pages 216-229, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:srbeha:v:35:y:2018:i:2:p:216-229
    DOI: 10.1002/sres.2475
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.2475
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/sres.2475?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:srbeha:v:35:y:2018:i:2:p:216-229. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/1092-7026 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.