Empathy and satisfaction with religious life of Sacred Heart Sisters in different formation stages and apostolic fields

• Main Author: Kalayil, Aquina, S.H.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2008
• Subjects: Empathy > Religious aspects > Christianity; Monastic and religious life of women; Nuns > Psychology; Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/1307; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8145&context=etd_masteral
• Institution: De La Salle University

This descriptive-correlational study is undertaken to find out the degree of empathy experienced by the members of the Sacred Heart Congregation of Kerala, India and its relationship to their level of satisfaction with religious life. This study also investigates it there is a difference in levels of satisfaction and degrees of empathy among Sisters in the different stages of formation and various apostolic fields of the Sacred Heart Congregation. The subjects of the study were 100 Sisters, selected by stratified random sampling method from a total population of 520. The instruments used in this study were Empathy Construct Rating Scale (ECRS) and a questionnaire to assess the level of religious satisfaction. The instrument were sent to India for administration. The tabulations were mailed back to the researcher. The initial descriptive statistical analysis of the data brought out the level of satisfaction with religious life and the degree of empathy of the Sacred Heart Sisters, Kerala, India. Pearson r was computed at the .05 level to find out the relationship between the independent variable empathy and the dependent variable satisfaction with religious life. One-way ANOVA was used to find out the differences in the degree of empathy and level of satisfaction with religious life among Sisters in different formation stages and in different apostolic fields under the study. The results of the study showed that the respondents had an average level of satisfaction and moderately high level of empathy. There was a significant relationship between empathy and satisfaction, r = .65 p .0001. There was no significant relationship in degree of empathy and satisfaction with religious life among the formation stages and various apostolic fields. Based on the findings, the following conclusions were made: (a) The Sisters under study have an average sense of fulfillment in their religious vacation. (b) There is a need to boost empathy since it is the charism of the Sacred Heart Congregation in Kerala, India. (c) The higher the level of empathy, the higher the level of satisfaction with religious life of the Sacred Heart Sisters in Kerala, India. (d) There is no significant growth in the level of satisfaction nor in the degree of empathy as the Sisters under study make progress in the formation. (e) The main thrust of the Congregation (i.e. empathy) is equally being emphasized in the different apostolic fields.