Empatía cognitiva y afectiva en estudiantes de la facultad de Psicología de la Universidad de Cuenca en el periodo 2019-2020

Abstract

Psychology students should have optimal levels of cognitive and affective empathy, because they contribute to obtaining better results in therapeutic intervention. So, as a general objective, of the study we described the cognitive and affective empathy in psychology students of the University of Cuenca according to the sociodemographic variables. As specific objectives, the levels and dimensions of cognitive and affective empathy present in students of Psychology at the University of Cuenca were described, according to the aforementioned variables; in the same way, differences were established between dimensions of cognitive and affective empathy. This research worked with a random sample of 263 students from various psychology careers, 97 men and 166 women, between 17 and 36 years old, with a medium age of 21. The Affective and Cognitive Empathy Test created in 2008 by Lopez-Pérez, Fernández-Pinto y Abad García was used to determine the global level of empathy and its dimensions. The methodological process followed a quantitative, non-experimental and descriptive approach. The results indicated that the global empathy is at an optimal level in Psychology students and that the highest scores are in emotional understanding; however, affective empathy has a greater balance in its dimensions. In conclusion, cognitive empathy have must exhibit higher values than affective empathy for a proper execution of the psychological profession