Empathy among students of helping and non-helping oriented study

Empatija je sposobnost da razumijemo namjere drugih i njihovo ponašanje te razumijemo i dijelimo ono što oni proživljavaju i osjećaju. Empatiju se definira i promatra na različite načine, no u ovom istraživanju je empatija bila promatrana kao sposobnost na koju je moguće utjecati i koja neizbježno obuhvaća i kognitivnu i emocionalnu komponentu. Cilj istraživanja bio je ispitati postoje li razlike u empatiji između studenata pomagačkog i nepomagačkog usmjerenja te s obzirom na godinu studija, spol i redoslijed rođenja. Kako bismo dobili odgovor na željene probleme, korištena je hrvatska verzija upitnika Kvocijent empatije (Wertag i Hanzec, 2016). U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 427 studenata, od kojih je 208 studenata psihologije i 219 studenata elektrotehnike i računarstva. Utvrđeno je da studenti psihologije imaju statistički značajno višu empatiju od studenata elektrotehnike i računarstva, a općenito i među studentima psihologije, studentice imaju statistički značajno višu empatiju od studenata. Između studentica i studenata elektrotehnike i računarstva nije utvrđena statistički značajna razlika. Nadalje, utvrđeno je da studenti psihologije i na prvoj i na četvrtoj godini imaju višu empatiju od studenata elektrotehnike i računarstva iste godine. Također, pokazalo se da studenti četvrte godine psihologije imaju višu empatiju od studenata prve godine psihologije, što nije slučaj i među studentima elektrotehnike i računarstva. Naposljetku, pokazalo se i da postoji razlika u empatiji s obzirom na redoslijed rođenja i spol pri čemu su prvorođene studentice empatičnije od prvorođenih studenata, srednjerođene studentice empatičnije od srednjerođenih studenata te zadnjerođene studentice empatičnije od zadnjerođenih studenata. Kod studenata su jedinci i prvorođeni studenti empatičniji od srednjerođenih i zadnjerođenih studenata, dok kod studentica razlike s obzirom na redoslijed rođenja nisu utvrđene.Empathy is an ability to understand intentions and behavior of another person and also to understand and share what another person is feeling and experiencing. Empathy is defined and observed in many different ways, but in this case it was observed as an ability that can be changed and that inevitably includes both cognitive and affective component. The aim of this research was to examine whether there were any statistically significant differences in empathy among helping orientated and non-helping orientated students and gender and birth order. In order to get an answer, we used Croatian version of Empathy quotient (Wertag i Hanzec, 2016). A total of 427 students participated in this research, 208 of them were psychology students while others were engineer students. Results showed that psychology students scored higher on empathy than engineer students, females scored higher on empathy than males in general and also in a group of psychology students. In a group of engineer students there was no statistically significant difference between females and males. Also, results show that first and fourth year psychology students scored higher on empathy than first and fourth year engineer students. Among psychology students, fourth year students scored higher on empathy than first year students. Among engineer students, there was no statistically significant difference between first and fourth year students. Finally, there was a statistically significant difference among students in regard to their birth order and gender where firstborn and an only- child female students scored higher on empathy then first born and an only child male students. Also middle born and last born female students scored higher on empathy then middle born and last born male students. Among male students, only child students and firstborn students scored higher on empathy then middle and last born male students. Among female students there was no difference in regard to their birth order