Author: Harrison G. Gough

The Empathy (Em) Scale measures an individual’s ability to understand and connect with the emotions and perspectives of others. It reflects characteristics such as compassion, sensitivity, and the capacity to build trust through genuine care. This scale highlights a person’s skill in fostering meaningful relationships and responding thoughtfully to the needs of others.

The scale is part of the California Psychological Inventory (CPI), a well-established tool for understanding personality characteristics that contribute to effective behavior in various contexts. This scale is frequently used in leadership development and organizational coaching to identify strengths and developmental opportunities.

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  • Manual: AWS + MBI 4th Edition
    $50.00
    Read more about CPI 260® - California Psychological Inventory
    Includes one manual each for the CPI 434 and the CPI 260. Special package pricing of $50. Includes details on CPI reliability and validity. PDFs are not refundable.
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  • Individual Report
    $15.00
    Builds a report that interprets an individual's CPI Em scores. You invite participants to take the survey and Transform™ generates their reports.
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  • Report About Me
    $20.00
    Interprets and reports on your CPI Em scores. You complete the survey and Transform™ generates your report. Transform will connect this report to the "Send To" email provided at checkout. Note: This product is for a single use, with automated survey administration. For multiple uses, buy instead the Individual Report product in quantity needed.
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  • Transform Survey Hosting (Data)
    $2.75
    Minimum purchase of 20. Allows you to administer the CPI Em as an online survey using the Mind Garden Transform™ System. Includes data collection: data file with participants' raw data and raw scale scores. Optionally, Individual Reports can be generated from the collected data - requires the purchase of report licenses. Customization services are available.
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  • License to Reproduce
    $2.75
    Minimum purchase of 50. Allows you to administer the CPI 260 Empathy (CPI Em) Scale as an online survey via a non-Mind Garden survey system or as a paper/pen survey. The downloadable PDF file includes one copy of the CPI Em Scale, data template for upload and scoring, and permission to administer the CPI Em Scale up to the quantity purchased. The PDF is non-refundable.
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Features of the Empathy Scale

Purpose: To assess an individual’s ability to understand and respond to the emotions and needs of others, fostering trust and connection.

Length: Approximately 50 items

Average completion time: 5 minutes

Target population: High school age and older.

Administration: Designed for individual administration.

Validation: Demonstrated validity across diverse populations and contexts.

Uses of the Empathy Scale

  • Self-Evaluation
  • Leadership development
  • Coaching and personal growth
  • Organizational research

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High scores on Em are indicative of versatility, social insight, urbanity, wit, verbal fluency, and initiative. High scorers on Em do seem to be able to put themselves into the psychological frames of others and to sense how they feel and think. (p. 102)

-- From H.G. Gough & P. Bradley (1996), “CPI Manual Third Edition” (Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press)