Date of Award
1999
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Art
First Advisor
Marilyn Patterson
Second Advisor
Pamela Nickels
Third Advisor
Anita Sankar
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine whether written self-help materials conveyed empathy and whether reader's perceptions of empathy could be measured. Subjects (N = 65) were asked to rate 6 passages from 3 books on 2 questions derived from Rogers' (1961) restatement rule, and make a hypothetical choice among the authors as therapists. Using paired sample t tests, it was found that the mean differences in the ratings in 9 out of 12 cases were significant. One choice of therapist outcome out of the 2 was significant, x2 (2, N = 55) = 37.673, p < 0.001. It was concluded that the results supported theories that empathy, as a pluralistic concept, was inherent in written materials, and could be measured.
Recommended Citation
Spector, Jerome M., "Perceived Empathy in Self-Help Books" (1999). Theses. 1450.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/1450
Creative Commons License
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