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The Role of Empathy and Sympathy on Team Identification: The Determinants of Team-Based Approach

Year 2018, Volume: 23 Issue: 2, 59 - 74, 01.04.2018

Abstract

Given the attitudes and schadenfreude towards competitors in today's sports fan behavior, it is critical for managers to understand fans in terms of empathy and sympathy phenomenon. Therefore, understanding the influence of empathy and sympathy on team or fan identification has been one of the most important determinants of sports marketing. The purpose of this study is to understand the role of empathy and sympathy on team identity and the relationship between them and to reveal the fact that how the demographics of the fans influence their level of fan and level of watching team matches. The current study involved a quantitative research methodology employing a questionnaire containing three parts. The first part of the questionnaire included scale (AMES- twelve items) relating empathy and sympathy, developed from Vossen et al. (2015). The scale of team identification (six items) in the second part was adapted from Gwinner and Swanson (2003). The last part was designed to collect demographic characteristics and fandom of respondents. A total of 300 university students enrolled at a large university in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey participated in the study. The data were collected with convenience sampling through a self-administrated questionnaire. The results of EFA (exploratory factor analysis) revealed three valid dimensions titled as sympathy, affective empathy, and cognitive empathy respectively. The results of the study add to the body of knowledge in team identification, and empathy and sympathy by providing several theoretical and practical implications. Future research should explore the relationship between schadenfreude and empathy, sympathy and team attachment for sport fans.

References

  • Arnold, E., & Boggs, K. (1999). Interpersonal Relationships: Professional Communication Skills for Nurses. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company.
  • Bartsch, A., Oliver, M. B., Nitsch, C., & Scherr, S. (2016). Inspired by the Paralympics: Effects of empathy on audience interest in para-sports and on the destigmatization of persons with disabilities. Communication Research, 1-29.
  • Dalakas, V., & Melancon, J. P. (2012). Fan identification, Schadenfreude toward hated rivals, and the mediating effects of Importance of Winning Index (IWIN). Journal of Services Marketing, 26(1), 51-59.
  • Davis, M. H. (1980). Measuring individual differences in empathy. JSAS Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 10, 1-19. https://www.uv.es/~friasnav/Davis_1980.pdf (Accessed 1 November 2017).
  • Eisenberg, N., & Strayer, J. (1987). Critical issues in the study of empathy. In N. Eisenberg & J. Strayer, (Eds.), Empathy and Its Development (pp. 3–16). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
  • Funk, D. C., Mahony, D. F., Nakazawa, M., & Hirakawa, S. (2001). Development of the sports interest inventory (SII): Implications for measuring unique consumer motives at team sporting events. International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship, 3, 291-316.
  • Grover, S. M. (2005). Shaping effective communication skills and therapeutic relationships at work. AAOHN Journal, 53(4), 177-182.
  • Gwinner, K., & Swanson, S. R. (2003). A model of fan identification: Antecedents and sponsorship outcomes. Journal of Services Marketing, 17(3), 275-294.
  • Hirt, E. R., Zillman, D., Erickson, G. A., & Kennedy, C. (1992). Costs and benefits of allegiance: Changes in fans self-ascribed competencies after team victory versus defeat. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 724-738.
  • Hoffman, M. L. (2001). Empathy and moral development: Implications for caring and justice. Cambridge University Press.
  • Hoffman, M. L. (1984). Interaction of affect and cognition in empathy. In C.E. Izard, J. Kagan, and R. B. Zajonc, (Eds), Emotions, Cognition, and Behavior (pp. 103-131). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  • Hoogland, C. E., Schurtz, D. R., Cooper, C. M., Combs, D. J., Brown, E. G., & Smith, R. H. (2015). The joy of pain and the pain of joy: In-group identification predicts schadenfreude and gluckschmerz following rival groups’ fortunes. Motivation and Emotion, 39(2), 260-281.
  • Kahle, L. R., Kambara, K. M., & Rose, G. M. (1996). A functional model of fan attendance motivations for college football. Sports Marketing Quarterly, 5, 51-60.
  • Kalliopuska, M., & Tiitinen, U. (1991). Influence of two developmental programs on the empathy and prosociability of preschool children. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 72(1), 323-328.
  • Kavussanu, M., Stanger, N., & Boardley, I. D. (2013). The prosocial and antisocial behavior in sports scale: Further evidence for construct validity and reliability. Journal of Sports Sciences, 31, 1208–1221.
  • Kim, Y., & Kim, S. (2009). The relationship between team attributes, team identification and sponsor image. International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship, 10, 215-229.
  • Lorimer, R. (2013). The development of empathic accuracy in sports coaches. Journal of Sports Psychology in Action, 4(1), 26-33.
  • Losoya, S. H., & Eisenberg, N. (2001). Affective empathy. In J. A. Hall & F. J. Bernieri, (Eds.), Interpersonal Sensitivity (pp. 21–43). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
  • Luellen, T. B., & Wann, D. L. (2010). Rival salience and sports team identification. Sports Marketing Quarterly, 19(2), 97-106.
  • Montada, L., & Schneider, A. (1989). Justice and affective reactions to the disadvantaged. Social Justice Research, 3, 313-344.
  • Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric Testing. New York: McGraw Hill.
  • Nunnally, J. C., and Bernstein, H. I. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
  • Park, M., Turner, B. A., Pastore, D. L., Chitiyo, M., & Yoh, T. (2016). Information processing of audiences exposed to public service advertising messages for Special Olympics: A cognitive response approach. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, 17(3), 277-298.
  • Robinson, M. J., & Trail, G. T. (2005). Relationships among spectator gender, motives, points of attachment, and sports preference. Journal of Sport Management, 19(1), 58-80.
  • Sezen-Balcikanli, G. (2009). Fair play and empathy: A research study with student teachers. Journal of US-China Public Administration, 6(4), 79-84.
  • Sezen-Balçikanli, G., & Sezen, M. (2017). Professional sports and empathy: A relationship between professional futsal players' tendency toward empathy and fouls. Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research, 73(1), 27-35.
  • Stanger, N., Kavussanu, M., & Ring, C. (2017). Gender moderates the relationship between empathy and aggressiveness in sport: The mediating role of anger. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 29(1), 44-58.
  • Stewart, B., Smith, A., & Nicholson, M. (2003). Sport consumer typologies: A critical review. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 12(4), 206-216.
  • Sutton, W. A., McDonald, M. A., Milne, G. R., & Cimperman, J. (1997). Creating and fostering fan identification in professional sports. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 6, 15-22.
  • Trail, G. T., Anderson, D. F., & Fink, J. S. (2000). A theoretical model of sport spectator consumption behavior. International Journal of Sport Management, 1, 154-180.
  • Van Servellen, G. (1997). Communication skills for the health care professional: Concepts and techniques. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers, Inc.
  • Verhaert, G. A., & Van den Poel, D. (2011). Empathy as added value in predicting donation behavior. Journal of Business Research, 64(12), 1288-1295.
  • Vossen, H. G., Piotrowski, J. T., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2015). Development of the adolescent measure of empathy and sympathy (AMES). Personality and Individual Differences, 74, 66-71.
  • Wann, D. L. (2006a). The causes and consequences of sport team identification. In A. A. Raney & J. Bryant, (Eds.), Handbook of Sports and Media (pp. 331-352). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
  • Wann, D. L. (2006b). Understanding the positive social psychological benefits of sport team identification: The team identification–social psychological health model. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 10(4), 272-296.
  • Wann, D. L., & Branscombe, N. R. (1993). Sports fans: Measuring degree of identification with their team. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 24, 1-17.
  • Wann, D. L., Melnick, M. J., Russell, G. W., & Pease, D. G. (2001). Sports fans: The psychology and social impact of spectators. New York: Routledge Press.
  • Wann, D. L., & Schrader, M. P. (1997). Team identification and the enjoyment of watching a sporting event. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 84(3), 954-954.
  • Weiner, B. (1995). Inferences of responsibility and social motivation. In M. P. Zanna, (Ed.), Advances In Experimental Social Psychology (Vol. 27, pp. 1-47). San Diego: Academic Press.
  • Yun-Tsan, L. (2017). Influence of spectator motivation and team identification on team loyalty and switching intentions of sports fans. Advances in Management, 10(4), 7-17.

The Role of Empathy and Sympathy on Team Identification: The Determinants of Team-Based Approach

Year 2018, Volume: 23 Issue: 2, 59 - 74, 01.04.2018

Abstract

Günümüzün taraftar davranışlarında rakiplere karşı tutumlar ve schadenfreude (kötü niyetli sevinç) göz önüne alındığında, yöneticilerin taraftarların empati ve sempati olgusu açısından anlamaları çok önemlidir. Bu nedenle, empati ve sempatinin takım ya da taraftar kimliği üzerindeki etkisini anlamak, spor pazarlamasının en önemli belirleyicilerinden biri olmuştur. Bu çalışmanın amacı, empati ve sempatinin takım kimliği üzerindeki rolünü ve aralarında olan ilişkiyi anlamak ve sporseverlerin demografik özelliklerinin taraftarlık seviyelerini ve takım maçlarını izleme düzeylerini nasıl etkilediğini ortaya koymaktır. Bu çalışma, üç bölümlü anket kullanılmak suretiyle nicel araştırma yöntemi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Anketin ilk bölümü, Vossen ve ark. (2015) tarafından geliştirilen empati ve sempati ile ilgili ölçeği (AMES - on iki madde) içermektedir. İkinci bölümde, Gwinner ve Swanson (2003)’dan uyarlanan takım kimliği ölçeği (altı madde) oluşturmaktadır. Son bölüm ise, katılımcıların demografik özelliklerini ve taraftarlığını anlamak için tasarlanan bilgi toplama formundan oluşmaktadır. Çalışmaya, Orta Anadolu Bölgesi'ndeki büyük bir üniversiteye kayıtlı toplam 300 üniversite öğrencisi katılmıştır. Veriler, kolayda örnekleme yöntemi kullanılarak katılımcılara verilen anketler aracılığıyla ile toplanmıştır. Açıklayıcı faktör analizi (EFA) sonuçları, sırasıyla sempati, duyuşsal empati ve bilişsel empati olarak adlandırılan üç geçerli boyuttan oluşan anlamlı sonuçları ortaya koymaktadır. Çalışma sonuçları, empati ve sempatinin takım kimliğini anlamaya yönelik çeşitli teorik ve uygulamalı çıkarımlar açısından etkileri olduğunu göstermektedir. Gelecekteki araştırmalar, spor taraftarları için schadenfreude, empati, sempati ve takıma bağlılık arasındaki ilişkiyi araştırmalıdır.

References

  • Arnold, E., & Boggs, K. (1999). Interpersonal Relationships: Professional Communication Skills for Nurses. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company.
  • Bartsch, A., Oliver, M. B., Nitsch, C., & Scherr, S. (2016). Inspired by the Paralympics: Effects of empathy on audience interest in para-sports and on the destigmatization of persons with disabilities. Communication Research, 1-29.
  • Dalakas, V., & Melancon, J. P. (2012). Fan identification, Schadenfreude toward hated rivals, and the mediating effects of Importance of Winning Index (IWIN). Journal of Services Marketing, 26(1), 51-59.
  • Davis, M. H. (1980). Measuring individual differences in empathy. JSAS Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 10, 1-19. https://www.uv.es/~friasnav/Davis_1980.pdf (Accessed 1 November 2017).
  • Eisenberg, N., & Strayer, J. (1987). Critical issues in the study of empathy. In N. Eisenberg & J. Strayer, (Eds.), Empathy and Its Development (pp. 3–16). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
  • Funk, D. C., Mahony, D. F., Nakazawa, M., & Hirakawa, S. (2001). Development of the sports interest inventory (SII): Implications for measuring unique consumer motives at team sporting events. International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship, 3, 291-316.
  • Grover, S. M. (2005). Shaping effective communication skills and therapeutic relationships at work. AAOHN Journal, 53(4), 177-182.
  • Gwinner, K., & Swanson, S. R. (2003). A model of fan identification: Antecedents and sponsorship outcomes. Journal of Services Marketing, 17(3), 275-294.
  • Hirt, E. R., Zillman, D., Erickson, G. A., & Kennedy, C. (1992). Costs and benefits of allegiance: Changes in fans self-ascribed competencies after team victory versus defeat. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 724-738.
  • Hoffman, M. L. (2001). Empathy and moral development: Implications for caring and justice. Cambridge University Press.
  • Hoffman, M. L. (1984). Interaction of affect and cognition in empathy. In C.E. Izard, J. Kagan, and R. B. Zajonc, (Eds), Emotions, Cognition, and Behavior (pp. 103-131). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  • Hoogland, C. E., Schurtz, D. R., Cooper, C. M., Combs, D. J., Brown, E. G., & Smith, R. H. (2015). The joy of pain and the pain of joy: In-group identification predicts schadenfreude and gluckschmerz following rival groups’ fortunes. Motivation and Emotion, 39(2), 260-281.
  • Kahle, L. R., Kambara, K. M., & Rose, G. M. (1996). A functional model of fan attendance motivations for college football. Sports Marketing Quarterly, 5, 51-60.
  • Kalliopuska, M., & Tiitinen, U. (1991). Influence of two developmental programs on the empathy and prosociability of preschool children. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 72(1), 323-328.
  • Kavussanu, M., Stanger, N., & Boardley, I. D. (2013). The prosocial and antisocial behavior in sports scale: Further evidence for construct validity and reliability. Journal of Sports Sciences, 31, 1208–1221.
  • Kim, Y., & Kim, S. (2009). The relationship between team attributes, team identification and sponsor image. International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship, 10, 215-229.
  • Lorimer, R. (2013). The development of empathic accuracy in sports coaches. Journal of Sports Psychology in Action, 4(1), 26-33.
  • Losoya, S. H., & Eisenberg, N. (2001). Affective empathy. In J. A. Hall & F. J. Bernieri, (Eds.), Interpersonal Sensitivity (pp. 21–43). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
  • Luellen, T. B., & Wann, D. L. (2010). Rival salience and sports team identification. Sports Marketing Quarterly, 19(2), 97-106.
  • Montada, L., & Schneider, A. (1989). Justice and affective reactions to the disadvantaged. Social Justice Research, 3, 313-344.
  • Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric Testing. New York: McGraw Hill.
  • Nunnally, J. C., and Bernstein, H. I. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
  • Park, M., Turner, B. A., Pastore, D. L., Chitiyo, M., & Yoh, T. (2016). Information processing of audiences exposed to public service advertising messages for Special Olympics: A cognitive response approach. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, 17(3), 277-298.
  • Robinson, M. J., & Trail, G. T. (2005). Relationships among spectator gender, motives, points of attachment, and sports preference. Journal of Sport Management, 19(1), 58-80.
  • Sezen-Balcikanli, G. (2009). Fair play and empathy: A research study with student teachers. Journal of US-China Public Administration, 6(4), 79-84.
  • Sezen-Balçikanli, G., & Sezen, M. (2017). Professional sports and empathy: A relationship between professional futsal players' tendency toward empathy and fouls. Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research, 73(1), 27-35.
  • Stanger, N., Kavussanu, M., & Ring, C. (2017). Gender moderates the relationship between empathy and aggressiveness in sport: The mediating role of anger. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 29(1), 44-58.
  • Stewart, B., Smith, A., & Nicholson, M. (2003). Sport consumer typologies: A critical review. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 12(4), 206-216.
  • Sutton, W. A., McDonald, M. A., Milne, G. R., & Cimperman, J. (1997). Creating and fostering fan identification in professional sports. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 6, 15-22.
  • Trail, G. T., Anderson, D. F., & Fink, J. S. (2000). A theoretical model of sport spectator consumption behavior. International Journal of Sport Management, 1, 154-180.
  • Van Servellen, G. (1997). Communication skills for the health care professional: Concepts and techniques. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers, Inc.
  • Verhaert, G. A., & Van den Poel, D. (2011). Empathy as added value in predicting donation behavior. Journal of Business Research, 64(12), 1288-1295.
  • Vossen, H. G., Piotrowski, J. T., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2015). Development of the adolescent measure of empathy and sympathy (AMES). Personality and Individual Differences, 74, 66-71.
  • Wann, D. L. (2006a). The causes and consequences of sport team identification. In A. A. Raney & J. Bryant, (Eds.), Handbook of Sports and Media (pp. 331-352). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
  • Wann, D. L. (2006b). Understanding the positive social psychological benefits of sport team identification: The team identification–social psychological health model. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 10(4), 272-296.
  • Wann, D. L., & Branscombe, N. R. (1993). Sports fans: Measuring degree of identification with their team. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 24, 1-17.
  • Wann, D. L., Melnick, M. J., Russell, G. W., & Pease, D. G. (2001). Sports fans: The psychology and social impact of spectators. New York: Routledge Press.
  • Wann, D. L., & Schrader, M. P. (1997). Team identification and the enjoyment of watching a sporting event. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 84(3), 954-954.
  • Weiner, B. (1995). Inferences of responsibility and social motivation. In M. P. Zanna, (Ed.), Advances In Experimental Social Psychology (Vol. 27, pp. 1-47). San Diego: Academic Press.
  • Yun-Tsan, L. (2017). Influence of spectator motivation and team identification on team loyalty and switching intentions of sports fans. Advances in Management, 10(4), 7-17.
There are 40 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Sports Medicine
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Metin Argan

Mehpare Togay Argan

Sabri Kaya

Publication Date April 1, 2018
Submission Date February 23, 2018
Acceptance Date March 20, 2018
Published in Issue Year 2018 Volume: 23 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Argan, M., Argan, M. T., & Kaya, S. (2018). The Role of Empathy and Sympathy on Team Identification: The Determinants of Team-Based Approach. Gazi Beden Eğitimi Ve Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 23(2), 59-74.

Gazi Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Bilimleri Dergisi yılda dört kez yayımlanan bilimsel ve hakemli bir dergidir.


Gazi Journal of Physical Education and Sports Sciences is a scientific and peer-reviewed journal published quarterly.