A 25-year study shows how empathy is transmitted from parents through teenagers to their future children

The big idea

Our latest research shows that oldsters who show empathy to their teens can provide them a head start in developing this skill. In addition, teens who show empathy and support to their friends usually tend to change into supportive parents, which in turn can promote empathy in their very own offspring.

How we worked

The KLIFF/VIDA study on the University of Virginia pursued 184 young people for greater than 25 years: from the age of 13 well into my thirties.

Since 1998, yearly young people got here to the university with their parents and best friends, and a Research team recorded videos of their conversations. The researchers observed how much empathy the mother showed to her 13-year-old son when he needed help with an issue. We measured empathy by rating how present and engaged the moms were within the conversation, whether or not they appropriately understood their teenager's problem, and the way much help and emotional support they offered.

Then we observed annually until the age of 19 whether the young people had the identical sorts of empathetic behavior towards their close friends.

Ten years later, when a few of these teenagers had children of their very own, we surveyed them about their parenting. We also asked them about their young children's empathy. For example, parents rated how often their child “tries to understand others' feelings” and “tries to comfort others.”

We found The more empathetic a mother was toward her teen at age 13, the more empathetic the teenager was toward her close friends throughout adolescence. Among teens who later had children of their very own, those that had shown more empathy toward close friends as adolescents became more supportive parents as adults. In turn, these parents' supportive responses to their children's distress were related to reports of their young children's empathy.

Why it is vital

The ability to empathize with other people is an important skill for maintaining good relationships, solve a conflictprevention Violent crime and have good communication skills and more satisfactory relationships as an adult.

Adults want teens to develop good social skills and moral character, but simply telling them to be nice doesn't at all times work. Our findings suggest that if parents want to lift empathetic teens, it might be helpful to offer them firsthand experience of being understood and supported.

But young people also need Opportunities to practice and hone these skills with their peers. Teenage friendships could be a crucial “training ground” for teenagers to learn social skills comparable to empathy, the way to respond effectively to other people's suffering, and supportive caregiving skills they will use as parents. Our lab's latest work provides a number of the first evidence that supportive friendships in teens are essential for future parenting.

What's next

We are continuing to follow these participants to know what role their experiences with parents and peers during adolescence might play in the event of the following generation. We are also interested by what aspects might interrupt intergenerational cycles of lack of empathy, aggression, and harsh parenting. For example, it is feasible that supportive friends can compensate for the shortage of empathy experienced within the family.

While you may't select your loved ones, you may select your folks. Encouraging teens to form friendships of mutual understanding and support can have long-term ripple effects for the following generation.

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