Attitudes toward euthanasia and their predictors – dark triad, emotional empathy and religiosity

Vincelj Bele, Lana. (2014). Attitudes toward euthanasia and their predictors – dark triad, emotional empathy and religiosity. Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Psychology. [mentor Jokić-Begić, Nataša].

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Abstract

The goal of this research is to examine the attitudes of Croatian citizens toward euthanasia and to determine predictors of those attitudes. An online survey that consisted of a General data questionnaire, a Chinese expanded euthanasia attitude scale, a Short dark triad 28, an Emotional empathy scale and a Religiosity questionnaire has been applied on a sample of 562 participants (71.5 % female, 28.5 % male) aged from 18 years and upwards. Participants show mild support for euthanasia and consider euthanasia to be acceptable in specific cases. Attitudes toward euthanasia vary with respect to different types of euthanasia and the relationship with the terminally ill person. The most positive attitude has been shown toward euthanasia in which the cause of death was the withdrawal of medical treatments and an explicit request for euthanasia was made by the person unkown to the participants. We also studied the possibility of predicting attitudes toward euthanasia based on sociodemographic variables, experience regarding euthanasia, value system and personality traits. The value system contributes to the prediction of attitudes toward euthanasia to the highest extent. As for the value system, religiosity stands out and has the largest single contribution in explaining the variance of attitudes toward euthanasia. Religious individuals have a more negative attitude toward euthanasia. It was found that machiavellianism and psychopathy of the dark triad, the variables that have previously not been studied in this context, also predict attitudes toward euthanasia. People who possess these traits have a more positive attitude toward euthanasia. Contrary to our expectations, emotional empathy is not correlated with attitudes toward euthanasia.

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