Goal:

To assess an individual's capacity to understand and share the feelings and thoughts of other individuals. This aligns with the concept of interpersonal empathy. The goal focuses on the internal experience and attempt to understand, rather than necessarily the accuracy of that understanding.

Key Areas for Assessment:

Affective Response/Sharing: Items assessing the experience of mirroring or feeling an affective resonance when observing another's emotional state.

Self-Other Awareness: Questions on distinguishing one's own feelings from those of others.

Perspective-Taking (Individual Level: Assessing the tendency to adopt the psychological viewpoint of another individual. Trying to understand how things look from their perspective.

Emotion Regulation: Items related to managing one's own emotional response when empathising to avoid personal distress.

Empathic Concern: Questions assessing the tendency to experience sympathy and compassion for others, particularly those less fortunate. Caring about what another person is experiencing.

Understanding Others' Mental States: Items about the capacity or attempt to understand the emotional states or thoughts of others. Being aware of or trying to decipher another person's feelings.

Connection to Prosocial Behaviour: Questions or statements linking personal empathy to a motivation to help or benefit others.