The empathy concept has central significance for social and personality psychology and in many other domains, including neuroscience, clinical/abnormal psychology, and the health professions. However, the current diversity in conceptual and operational definitions, and the promiscuous use of the term “empathy,” threaten the ability of researchers to advance the field. The present article provides a quantitative review and conceptual analysis of empathy definitions and usages by examining 393 studies published between 2001 and 2013, and 96 studies published in 2017. We document the prevalence and diversity of definitions, as well as inconsistencies between conceptual definitions and measurements employed. We discuss ways to refine the conceptualization and operationalization of the empathy construct, including for many purposes, bypassing the term empathy in favor of lower-level construct labels that more precisely describe what is actually being measured. In many cases we see no added theoretical or empirical value in applying the term empathy.

Judith A. Hall

Rachel Schwartz

The Journal of Social Psychology

Since John Dewey and Carl Murchison founded it in 1929, The Journal of Social Psychology has published original empirical research in all areas of basic and applied social psychology. Most articles report laboratory or field research in core areas of social and organizational psychology including the self, attribution theory, attitudes, social influence, consumer behavior, decision making, groups and teams, sterotypes and discrimination, interpersonal attraction, prosocial behavior, aggression, organizational behavior, leadership, and cross-cultural studies. Academic experts review all articles to ensure that they meet high standards.

Since its founding in 1929 by John Dewey and Carl Murchison, the Journal of Social Psychology has published original empirical research across all areas of basic and applied social psychology. Most articles report laboratory or field research in core areas of social and organizational psychology, including the self, attribution theory, attitudes, social influence, consumer behavior, decision making, groups and teams, stereotypes and discrimination, interpersonal attraction, prosocial behavior, aggression, organizational behavior, leadership, and cross-cultural studies. All articles are reviewed by academic experts to ensure they meet high standards.

《Journal of Social Psychology》自1929年由约翰·杜威和卡尔·默奇森创办以来，已发表了各个领域的原创实证研究，涵盖基础和应用社会心理学的所有方面。大多数文章报告了在社会和组织心理学核心领域的实验室或实地研究，包括自我、归因理论、态度、社会影响、消费者行为、决策、群体与团队、刻板印象与歧视、人际吸引、利他行为、攻击行为、组织行为、领导力以及跨文化研究。所有文章均由学术专家进行审查，以确保其符合高标准。

Journal of Social Psychology

Empathy present and future

A quantitative review and conceptual analysis of empathy definitions and usages is provided by examining 393 studies published between 2001 and 2013, and 96 studies published in 2017.

Category	Quartile
心理学	3
心理学, 心理学社会	4

Empathy present and future

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL	3