Empathy and Moral Development
Implications for Caring and Justice

The culmination of three decades of study and research in the area of child and developmental psychology.

Martin L. Hoffman (Author)

9780521012973, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 12 November 2001

342 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 2.3 cm, 0.47 kg

'For over four decades Martin Hoffman has investigated the many facets of moral development, focusing particularly on empathy. In this very important book he integrates his efforts, giving the reader a powerful account of the central role that empathy plays in moral agency. Hoffman's book will serve as a contemporary milestone for both researchers and educators in moral development.' Journal of Moral Education

Contemporary theories have generally focused on either the behavioral, cognitive or emotional dimensions of prosocial moral development. In this volume, these three dimensions are brought together while providing the first comprehensive account of prosocial moral development in children. The main concept is empathy - one feels what is appropriate for another person's situation, not one's own. Hoffman discusses empathy's role in five moral situations. The book's focus is empathy's contribution to altruism and compassion for others in physical, psychological, or economic distress. Also highlighted are the psychological processes involved in empathy's interaction with certain parental behaviors that foster moral internalization in children and the psychological processes involved in empathy's relation to abstract moral principles such as caring and distributive justice. This important book is the culmination of three decades of study and research by a leading figure in the area of child and developmental psychology.

1. Introduction and overview
2. Empathy, its arousal and prosocial functioning
3. Development of empathic distress
4. Empathic anger, sympathy, guilt, feeling of injustice
5. Guilt and moral internalization
6. From discipline to internalization
7. Relationship and other virtual guilts
8. Empathy's limitations: is empathy enough? 9. Empathy and moral principles
10. Development of empathy-based justice principles
11. Multiple- claimant and caring-versus-justice dilemmas
12. The universality and culture issue
13. Implications for intervention.

Subject Areas: Child & developmental psychology [JMC]