My Interpersonal Dispositions (Empathy and Perspective-Taking; modification of Davis’ 1983
instrument; generalized and partner-specific forms of empathy and perspective-taking)
To what extent do you agree with each of the following statements regarding yourself? Please
use the following scale to record an answer for each statement listed below.
Response Scale:
0
1
Do Not Agree
At All
2
3
4
Agree
Somewhat
5
6
7
8
Agree
Completely
Response
_____
1) When I see someone being taken advantage of, I feel kind of protective toward
him/her.
_____
2) When my partner and I are having a fight and I’m sure I’m right, I don’t waste a
lot of time discussing my partner’s ideas about the situation.
_____
3) I don’t feel all that upset when my partner fails at something he/she cares about.
_____
4) I sometimes try to understand my friends better by imagining how things look
from their perspective.
_____
5) I don’t become all that upset about negative events in my partner’s life.
_____
6) I try to look at my partner’s side of a disagreement before I make a decision.
_____
7) I often have tender, concerned feelings for people less fortunate than me.
_____
8) When I’m upset at someone, I usually try to “put myself in his shoes” for a
while.
_____
9) Sometimes I don’t feel very sorry for other people when they are having
problems.
_____
10) When I’m upset or irritated by my partner, I try to imagine how I would feel if I
were in my partner’s shoes.
_____
11) When my partner has problems in his/her life, I feel really terrible.
_____
12) I sometimes find it difficult to see things from the “other guy’s” point of view.
_____
13) Other people’s misfortunes do not usually disturb me a great deal.
_____
14) When my partner has hurt me, before I get angry I try to imagine how I would be
feeling and thinking if I were in his/her place.
_____
15) I feel terribly sorry when things aren’t going well for my partner.
_____
16) Before criticizing somebody, I try to imagine how I would feel if I were in
his/her place.
Subscales:
Generalized Empathy –
_____
_____
_____
_____
1) When I see someone being taken advantage of, I feel kind of protective toward
him/her.
7) I often have tender, concerned feelings for people less fortunate than me.
9) Sometimes I don’t feel very sorry for other people when they are having
problems. (reverse-score)
13) Other people’s misfortunes do not usually disturb me a great deal. (reversescore)
Generalized Perspective-Taking –
_____
_____
_____
_____
4) I sometimes try to understand my friends better by imagining how things look
from their perspective.
8) When I’m upset at someone, I usually try to “put myself in his shoes” for a
while.
12) I sometimes find it difficult to see things from the “other guy’s” point of view.
(reverse-score)
16) Before criticizing somebody, I try to imagine how I would feel if I were in
his/her place.
Partner-Specific Empathy –
_____
_____
_____
_____
3) I don’t feel all that upset when my partner fails at something he/she cares about.
(reverse-score)
5) I don’t become all that upset about negative events in my partner’s life.
(reverse-score)
11) When my partner has problems in his/her life, I feel really terrible.
15) I feel terribly sorry when things aren’t going well for my partner.
Partner-Specific Perspective-Taking –
_____
_____
_____
_____
2) When my partner and I are having a fight and I’m sure I’m right, I don’t waste a
lot of time discussing my partner’s ideas about the situation. (reverse-score)
6) I try to look at my partner’s side of a disagreement before I make a decision.
10) When I’m upset or irritated by my partner, I try to imagine how I would feel if I
were in my partner’s shoes.
14) When my partner has hurt me, before I get angry I try to imagine how I would be
feeling and thinking if I were in his/her place.