Is personal distress a part of empathy? A re-analysis of the multidimensional empathy concept

Abstract

The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) (Davis, 1983) combined the four factors empathic concern, perspective taking, personal distress and the fantasy scale into a multidimensional concept of empathy that is still generally valid today. On the basis of the German translation of the IRI, the Saarbrücken Personality Questionnaire on Empathy (SPF), two different model adjustments were examined with the help of structural equations: a general factor model of empathy and the previous multidimensional model. The calculations were based on questionnaire data from 7 668 subjects at the age from 10 and 80 years, some of which were collected online. It turned out that the multidimensional concept was superior to the general factor model, but without including the personal distress scale (NPAR = 31, RMSEA = .06, PCLOSE = .00, SRMR = .04, CFI = .96). Distress can theoretically be regarded as a consequence of empathy and should therefore not to be considered as a part of the theoretical empathy concept.