A study of differences in empathy and sociomoral reasoning in offenders and non offenders

Pages: 380-383
Rupan Dhillon (Department of Psychology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab)
Nitesh Kumar Jha (Criminal Psychologist, Expressions Children, Homes Organizations of India (ECHOI), New Delhi)

Crime and criminal behavior in society is not a simple phenomenon to understand. Crime is considered as an intentional act that violates the law of a particular society. When we talk about the differences in the way criminals interpret their social environment, we see that their social cognitions are different. Offenders draw conclusions on the basis of their personal social cognitions. Studies also indicate that the social moral values and the levels of empathy are different of criminals and the general population. Hence, this increases the offending rates in criminals. This study is taken up to understand the importance of two social cognitive variables of empathy and sociomoral reasoning and to find out whether the offenders differ from non-offenders on these two variables. A sample of 60 offenders and 60 non offenders will be taken. The psychological measures to be utilized in this study are Sociomoral Reflection Measure (Gibbs et al.,1992) and Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1980). Statistical analysis will be applied to study differences on these two variables. Results will be elucidated on the basis of current scenario prevailing in the society and implications will be discussed.