Batson’s Empathy Adjectives

Abstract

The Batson’s Empathy Adjectives scale is a concise, self-report instrument designed to measure feelings of empathetic concern toward a specific target or situation. Developed by C. Daniel Batson and colleagues in 1986, this instrument consists of eight adjectives that capture the affective, other-oriented emotional response associated with compassion and sympathy. It is frequently employed in social psychological research, particularly in studies investigating the Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis, where it serves to distinguish genuine altruistic motivation (driven by empathetic concern) from egoistic motivation (driven by personal distress). The scale utilizes a 6-point Likert response format, requiring respondents to rate their current feelings regarding a specified target, such as a person who has caused harm, as demonstrated in subsequent applications concerning forgiveness.

Keywords

Empathy, Empathetic Concern, Altruism, Compassion, Affective Measurement, Social Psychology, Batson, Forgiveness, Self-report scale

Authors

C. Daniel Batson, M.H. Bolen, J.A. Cross, H.E. Neuringer-Benefiel

Purpose

The primary purpose of Batson’s Empathy Adjectives scale is to provide a reliable and quick measure of empathetic concern, a crucial emotional state defined by feelings of warmth, sympathy, and tenderness toward another person, especially when that person is perceived to be in need or suffering. This measure was developed specifically within the theoretical framework of C. Daniel Batson’s research program, which aimed to test whether pure, non-egoistic altruism exists. The scale helps researchers quantify the degree to which participants experience other-oriented emotions rather than self-oriented emotions (like personal distress) when observing a target.

In applied contexts, such as the study referenced in the source material (Kidwell, 2009), the scale’s instructions were adapted to measure the respondent’s current compassionate attitude toward an individual who had committed an offense against them. This application allows researchers to explore the role of empathy in facilitating processes such as forgiveness and reconciliation.

Construct

The central psychological construct measured by this instrument is Empathetic Concern. Empathetic concern is conceptualized as an other-oriented emotional response congruent with the perceived welfare of another person. It is distinct from cognitive empathy (perspective-taking) and personal distress (a self-focused, aversive reaction to another’s suffering, characterized by feelings such as alarm, worry, or upset). Batson’s research emphasizes that empathetic concern is the emotional precursor to truly altruistic motivation.

The eight adjectives included in the scale (sympathetic, empathic, concerned, moved, compassionate, softhearted, warm, and tender) are carefully selected to tap into this specific affective dimension, representing feelings of care and desire to improve the well-being of the target individual.

Validity

The validity of Batson’s Empathy Adjectives scale is primarily established through its theoretical grounding in the empathy-altruism model. The scale typically demonstrates strong construct validity by consistently correlating highly with measures of altruistic behavior and low or negative correlations with measures of personal distress or egoistic motivation. Studies often utilize experimental manipulations to establish discriminant validity, showing that empathetic concern, as measured by these adjectives, predicts helping behavior even when escape from the situation is easy (a critical test of altruism).

Furthermore, the scale exhibits face validity, as the items themselves are direct descriptors of compassionate feeling states. Its consistent use across decades in high-impact social psychology research attests to its empirical utility in measuring this specific emotional component.

Reliability

Although specific reliability coefficients are not present in the source snippet, the Batson Empathy Adjectives scale generally reports strong internal consistency (reliability) across numerous studies. Typically, measures of internal consistency, such as Cronbach’s Alpha, for this 8-item index often exceed the standard threshold, frequently falling in the range of .80 to .90, indicating that the eight items reliably measure a single underlying construct (Empathetic Concern).

Factor Analysis

In the original and subsequent factor analytic studies, the eight items of the Batson Empathy Adjectives scale typically load onto a single, dominant factor representing Empathetic Concern. When administered alongside measures of personal distress (e.g., upset, troubled, distressed), factor analysis consistently confirms the two-factor structure necessary for the empathy-altruism model: one factor for Empathy (Batson’s Adjectives) and one factor for Distress. This clean separation is essential for researchers attempting to isolate the non-egoistic motivational basis for prosocial behavior.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire/Adjective Checklist

Format: Paper-and-pencil or digital administration; 6-point Likert scale.

Language Available: Primarily English, though translated versions are used in international psychological research.

Population Group: General population; frequently used with college students in experimental settings.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (typically 18+).

Population Details: Used across diverse samples, often employed in contexts involving observing another person in need, or, as noted in the source, reflecting on an interpersonal offense.

Test Methodology: Respondents are instructed to reflect on a specific target or scenario (e.g., an individual who caused them harm) and then rate how accurately each of the eight adjectives describes their current feeling toward that person. The response categories range from “Not at all” to “Extremely.”

Keywords

Empathetic Concern Scale, C. Daniel Batson, Affective Empathy, Social Psychology Research, Psychological Measurement, Prosocial Behavior, Forgiveness Scale Component

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not publicly available in the source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not publicly available in the source material.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence for C. Daniel Batson would typically be directed through the Department of Psychology at the University of Kansas (affiliation at the time of publication).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed in 1986. As an instrument consisting of eight common adjectives, it is widely used in academic research and is generally considered to be in the public domain for non-commercial, academic purposes. Researchers should cite the original 1986 article by Batson et al. when utilizing the measure.

The instrument, in the context of forgiveness research, can be reviewed on page 137 of the doctoral dissertation: “Exploring the relationship between religious commitment and forgiveness through quantitative and qualitative study.” The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1928&context=etd

Reference’s

• Batson, C.D., Bolen, M.H., Cross, J.A., Neuringer-Benefiel, H.E. (1986). Where is the altruism in the altruistic personality? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 212-220.
• Kidwell, Julia E.M., (2009). “Exploring the relationship between religious commitment and forgiveness through quantitative and qualitative study”. Iowa State University. Doctoral Theses and Dissertations. Paper 10891.

Items of the Batson’s Empathy Adjectives

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The instructions provided to the respondent are:

As you think about the offense, please answer the following questions about your attitude toward the person who hurt you. We do not want your ratings of past attitudes, but your rating of attitudes right now as you think about this event. After each item, please CIRCLE the word that best describes your current feeling. Please do not skip any item.

Response Scale: Not at all, Little, Somewhat, Moderately, Quite a lot, Extremely

1. sympathetic:
2. empathic:
3. concerned:
4. moved:
5. compassionate:
6. softhearted:
7. warm:
8. tender: