Elsevier

Aggression and Violent Behavior

Volume 14, Issue 1, January–February 2009, Pages 1-4
Aggression and Violent Behavior

A review of the evidence for associations between empathy, violence, and animal cruelty

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2008.07.005Get rights and content

Abstract

There is clear evidence that cruelty to animals may co-occur with other violent behaviors, such as assault. Animal cruelty, particularly towards domestic pets, tends to occur disproportionately within the wider context of intimate partner violence. A factor that may contribute to the associations between interpersonal violence and animal cruelty is a compromised ability to experience feelings of empathy. The current paper sought to provide an overview of empathy and its relationship to violence, with particular emphasis on attitudes towards animals.

Section snippets

Empathy and aggression

Briefly, empathy involves both affective (emotional) and cognitive components (Zahn-Waxler & Radke-Yarrow, 1990). The cognitive component of empathy, sometimes labeled “perspective taking,” entails understanding or identifying with another individual's response. For this reason, empathy is considered a highly important and influential aspect of moral reasoning (Hanson & Mullis, 1985). However, empathy is not necessarily generated by complex cognitive operations.

Empathy may also be defined as a

Empathy generalization

It has been theorized that empathy ‘generalizes’ from animals to humans. It has also been claimed that through the ‘humane education’ of children, involving school-based programs designed to instill ‘pro-animal’ attitudes, increased levels of empathy towards animals will necessarily result in increased levels of empathy for other humans. Thompson and Gullone (2003) support this view, contending that instilling and maintaining normative levels of empathy in children is becoming “increasingly

Conclusions

There is insufficient evidence to support the view that empathy levels are the sole or key driver of aggressive behavior and/or animal cruelty. Empathy appears to be just one factor among a host of contributors towards generalized violent and antisocial behavior patterns. Based on existing research, it appears that childhood exposure to violence (with or without the presence of animal cruelty), coupled with a lack of pro-social parental behavior, may contribute to the development of a spectrum

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