Abstract

The present study compared the effect of imagery simulation, which can facilitate conscious emotional sharing, and analogy on empathy level. Two scenarios were developed to investigate the influence of each empathy tool on empathy level, and the effect of frequency of use. The impact of level of similarity between participants’ experiences and scenarios was also examined. For the verification process, participants’ reactions were recorded while they read the scenarios. Recordings were evaluated by trained raters to compare changes in empathy level between groups. The results indicated that imagery simulation resulted in a higher level of empathy than analogy, even when analogy was used more frequently. They also indicated that participants with high levels of similarity with the imagery simulation showed the highest level of empathy, while those with low levels of similarity with the analogy showed the lowest level of empathy. The implications and limitations of the study are discussed.