The Relationship between Attachment Style and Moral Identity: The Mediating Role of Empathy
Subject Areas :Ghasideh Hojjati 1 * , zahra naghsh 2 , Mohammad Khodayarifard 3
1 - Department of Education Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Psychology and Education, Tehran, Iran
2 - Department of Education Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Psychology and Education, Tehran, Iran
3 - Department of Education Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Psychology and Education, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Attachment styles, Empathy, Moral identity,
Abstract :
The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between attachment styles and moral identity, mediated by role of empathy. This research was a correlational study. A total 350 participants were selected by means of multistage cluster sampling among all the girl students of tenth grade of Hamedan city’s public schools. The data were gathered by using 3 measures: Moral Identity Scale (Aquino & Reed, 2002), The Basic Empathy Scale (Joliffe & Farrington, 2006) and Adult Attachment Questionnaire (Collins & Reed, 1996). Using correlation and path analysis with software Spss and Lisrel, the data were analyzed. The results indicate that the model had a good fit to the research’s data. The secure attachment style was a significant positive predictor of moral identity and avoidant attachment style and ambivalent attachment style, were both negative predictors of moral identity. Also secure attachment was a positive predictor of empathy and avoidant attachment was a negative predictor of empathy. And in the meantime the relationship among ambivalent attachment style and empathy was not significant. Therefore, parents will be able to create a moral identity in their children by having a secure attachment style and through empathy.