Does Basic Empathy Predict Counselors Career Adaptability

Empathy is a therapeutic condition, a part of the personality, and a skill. Also empathy plays a crucial role in career success and career development process. It is mostly known that empathy predicts the effectiveness of psychological counseling process. However, it is less known that its predictor role on counselors’ career development. Using a sample of 279 counselors, this study examined the relationship between empathy and career adaptability. The counselors who participated in the study answered the Career Adaptability Scale and Basic Empathy Scale. The research data were analyzed through correlation and multiple regression technics. The results showed a positive correlation between empathy, of which sub-dimensions are cognitive and affective empathy, and career adaptability. Also, multiple regression analysis indicated that cognitive empathy explained approximately 10 % of the variance of career adaptability and that affective empathy had not a predictive role on career adaptability. For career researchers, these results showed the importance of empathy to predict counselors’ career adaptability.