The possibilities of empathy in preventing interpersonal conflicts in the educational environmentof a higher education institution

Abstract

The present article studies the possibilities of empathy in preventing interpersonal conflicts in the sphere of higher education. Interpersonal conflicts are regarded from the sociopedagogical perspective as a complex phenomenon, the emergence and development of which is predetermined by the personal features of the participants of the education process. The success of mediation in a conflict between learners is determined by the knowledge of factors that decrease the probability of a conflict situation. Empathy is one of the personal features that may be employed to prevent conflict situations and to expand the range of applicable mediation technologies. The empirical study was carried out with students majoring in psychology, medicine and technical science aged from 18 to 24. The empathy level diagnostic questionnaires by V.V. Boyko and A. Megrabian were used. It was found that the psychology students feature the best developed empathy. Empathy brings the learners together, cuts down aggressive tendencies, blocks competitive attitude towards students with special needs. Empathy develops the fundamental neutral relations between conflicting parties, which is essential to prevent interpersonal conflicts. A conclusion on the importance of developing empathic capacity of the students majoring in mediation is made.