Role of cognitive and emotional empathy in the development of social cognition among adolescents

Abstract

Empathy and social cognition among adolescents have been mainly studied in recent years. There are several reasons that adolescence and social cognition are being studied. Adolescents find themselves fully facing the external world and equipped with social cognitive skills, including emotional and cognitive empathy, along with the theory of mind acquired at home or school. Now, they must interact with others with diverse views, thoughts, and emotions from society. One of the fundamental components of social cognition among adolescents is described as empathy. Archival techniques are used in this review paper. This paper explores the connection between empathy and social cognition in adolescent development and how emotional and cognitive empathy influence social cognitive skills. It also investigates the changes in brain regions to social cognition and empathy among adolescents. Identifying this relationship reveals that emotional and cognitive empathy are both indispensable in the construct of social cognition during the adolescence period. The findings of the study point to the need for assessing the different components of empathy in psychopathological conditions among adolescents, which is marked by difficulties in emotional identification and expression. Developing a typical training program that improves social cognitive skills may help adolescents track their behavior in every aspect.