Empathy as an Element of Promoting the Manifestation of Group Creativity and Survey on Empathic Ability of Korean Elementary School Students

Abstract

Background:We examined the importance of empathy, which was regarded as one of the elements that might assist in accelerating the manifestation of group creativity, and studied the state of empathic ability of Korean elementary school students.Material and methods:For such, a cognitive and affective empathic ability test was conducted over 228 students that were in their fifth and sixth grades of elementary school in Korea, and this result was indirectly compared with preceding research results of the United States and the Netherlands.Results:The mean score of perspective taking of Korean elementary school students, in cognitive empathy, appeared to be relatively higher than the mean score of the elementary school students in the United States and the Netherlands. The mean score of fantasizing appeared to be lower than the mean score of perspective taking. Moreover, empathic concern of Korean students, in affective empathy, appeared to be relatively lower than the mean score of elementary school students of the United States and the Netherlands. The mean score of empathic awakening appeared to be higher than the mean score of empathic concern, however, the mean score of emphatic awakening appeared to have failed to reach the mean.Conclusions:Educational implications for such was discussed.