The Role of Empathy and Emotional Intelligence in the Regulation of Moral Choice

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Abstract

The article is devoted to studying the role of emotional components in regulating decision-making based on verbal tasks that model the conditions of moral choice. The following research objectives were set: 1) identification of the relationships between empathy and emotional intelligence and levels of moral development; 2) determination of the role of appealing to the emotional component through the characteristics of the character in the situation (“good – evil”) on choice preferences in moral dilemmas. Hypotheses were proposed about the positive relationship between empathy and emotional intelligence (EI) indicators with the transition to the stage of autonomous morality, as well as about the influence of a given character characteristic on the preference for alternatives corresponding to the stages of autonomous morality. The study involved 202 university students (37 men, 165 women) aged 18–35 (Med = 21.5, SD = 5.6). Psychodiagnostic methods were used: the Cognitive and Affective Empathy Questionnaire, the EmInt (Emotional Intelligence) test, and the Fairness–Care Questionnaire. 102 people from the sample (12 men, 90 women, Med = 20.8, SD = 3.8) took part in the verbal tasks. Six tasks were developed as moral dilemmas and involved choosing from alternatives corresponding to different stages of moral development; in two series, they differed in the character factor – “good and evil”. It was found that the indication of an “evil” character statistically significantly increased the frequency of choosing alternatives corresponding to the preconventional stage of moral development (hedonistic orientation or punishment/reward orientation). In tasks with a “good” character, the preference for choice corresponded to higher stages of autonomous morality. Significant differences in the choice of alternatives depending on the characteristics of the characters in moral dilemmas and a positive relationship between behavior choice and empathy and emotional intelligence were established.

About the authors

A. I. Denisova

Psychiatric Clinical Hospital № 4 named after P.B. Gannushkin DZM; Lomonosov Moscow State University

Author for correspondence.
Email: alina_belousova@inbox.ru
107076, Moscow, Poteshnaya str., 3, Russia.; 125009, Moscow, Mokhovaya st. 11/9, Russia.

T. V. Kornilova

Lomonosov Moscow State University

Email: tvkornilova@mail.ru
125009, Moscow, Mokhovaya st. 11/9, Russia.

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