- aggression
- abusive
+ intimacy
+ interpersonal interactions
Castillo R, Salguero JM, Fernández-Berrocal P, Balluerka N.
Abstract
"The aim of this study was to explore the effects of a two-year intervention grounded in the ability model of emotional intelligence (EI) on aggression and empathy among adolescents. Eight Spanish public schools volunteered to participate in the research. A total of 590 adolescents (46% boys) were randomly assigned to either the EI training group or control group conditions.
Students in the EI training group reported lower levels of physical/verbal aggression, anger, hostility, personal distress and fantasy compared to students in the control group. Additionally, the EI program was particularly effective for males' empathic abilities. These findings confirm the effectiveness of social and emotional learning interventions in Spanish academic contexts and extend the literature of gender-related differences during adolescence. Study limitations and future research directions are also considered."
"Poor empathy has been linked to aggressive behavior in both adults and children. Abusive parents and children of abusive parents both show lower scores on empathy tests. (Feshbach & Roe, 1968)" (FERNANDEZ 2002)
"It is suggested that low empathy skills contribute to poor interpersonal interactions and poor intimacy levels, and it has been shown that sexual offenders have lower levels of empathy than do other groups. (Fernandez, Marshall, Lightbody, & Sullivan, 1999)" (FERNANDEZ 2002)