Empathy, perspective taking and personal values as predictors of moral schemas

The aim of this study was to clarify the relationships between empathy variables, personal values and moral reasoning. The impact of empathic concern, perspective taking and personal values measured by the Portrait Value Questionnaire on moral schemas measured by the Defining Issues Test was investigated among 599 students from a university of applied sciences. The results revealed that perspective taking contributed to the post‐conventional schema, even after values were added on the hierarchical regression model, and that the personal interest schema was predicted by both individualist values (hedonism) and collectivist values (benevolence and tradition). Conformity and security predicted positively the maintaining norms schema whereas universalism and self‐direction served as negative predictors for the maintaining norms schema but positive predictors of the post‐conventional schema. Implications for professional ethics education are discussed.