The development of empathy in juvenile offenders

• Main Author: Li, Ru Lek
• Other Authors: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Psychology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/61831
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

As youth crimes and youth violence are more prominent in recent years, this study aims to examine the possible mechanisms that are lacking in these youths. First, we explored whether individuals with antisocial tendencies have lower level of self-compassion as compared to the average individuals. Next, we investigated if juvenile offenders and incarcerated youths lack empathy. A literature review was conducted to answer these research questions. It was found that antisocial individuals do not have all of the components within self-compassion, which indicated poor self-compassion. Juvenile offenders were also found to have deficits in the cognitive and emotional factors that were responsible for empathy, thus indicating a lack, or low level, of empathy in them. Both hypotheses were supported. A preventive approach of teaching empathy was discussed. This study contributes to the rehabilitative settings, which juvenile offenders receive treatment intervention, and the community context, which designs primary prevention such as teaching parents inductive socialization techniques. Future research can investigate self-compassion in a controlled setting with a comparison group, as well as the relationship between self-compassion and empathy.