Conceptual and Methodological Notes on Affective and Cognitive Role Taking (Sympathy and Empathy): An Illustrative Experiment with Delinquent and Nondelinquent Boys

Summary The ambiguity and inconsistency permeating the operational definitions and empirical measures of empathy and sympathy are briefly reviewed. The terms “affective role taking” and “cognitive role taking” are offered as substitute operational concepts. Affective and cognitive role-taking dispositions are assessed separately on the same Ss. Preliminary findings comparing delinquents and nondelinquents suggest that the delinquents are in no way deficient in cognitive role-taking skills, while they are significantly lower than nondelinquents in affective role taking. Unexpected findings indicate that black delinquents perceive their past relations with home and peers in significantly warmer terms than do white delinquents. The generality of theoretical formulations concerning the relation between socialization processes and aggression or delinquency are seriously questioned.