Research on the relationship between the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality traits and empathy among medical students:the mediating role of emotional regulation
10.12026/j.issn.1001-8565.2025.08.15
- VernacularTitle:医学生MBTI人格特征与共情的关系研究:情绪调节的中介作用
- Author:
Junfeng LIANG
1
;
Dan SUN
;
Xianliang XU
;
Kexin YUAN
;
Yanting SUN
;
Renjuan CHEN
;
Jing FU
Author Information
1. 西安交通大学宗濂书院,陕西 西安 710061
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
medical student;
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality trait;
emotional regulation;
empathy ability
- From:
Chinese Medical Ethics
2025;38(8):1059-1067
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To investigate the relationship between the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator(MBTI)personality traits,empathy ability,and emotion regulation among medical students,and to advocate for medical students to conduct in-depth self-analysis using MBTI,and to enhance their empathy ability in a targeted manner,thereby more effectively building harmonious doctor-patient relationships.Methods:A total of 664 medical students were investigated using the MBTI,the Chinese version of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire(ERQ),and the Chinese version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index(IRI).The mediation analysis in SPSSAU employed the product coefficient test method,utilizing Bootstrap sampling for data analysis.Results:The MBTI personality traits of medical students were generally inclined to Introversion-Sensing-Thinking-Judging(ISTJ).Medical students tended to use cognitive reappraisal,and the level of empathy needed to be strengthened.Males exhibited higher expressive inhibition than females,while females experienced greater personal distress than males.Expressive inhibition was also higher in only children compared to non-only children,and only children showed lower emotional empathy than non-only children.Cognitive reappraisal played a partial mediating role in the relationship between introverted/extraverted personality traits and personal distress among medical students(mediating effect=-0.017,accounting for 14.217%of the total effect),and a complete mediating effect between introverted/extraverted personality traits and emotional empathy(mediating effect=0.024,accounting for 100%of the total effect).Cognitive reappraisal partially mediated the relationship between life attitude orientation and emotional empathy(mediating effect=0.017,accounting for 15.727%of the total effect),and served as a partial mediator in the relationship between life attitude orientation and cognitive empathy(mediating effect=0.171,accounting for 25.827%of the total effect).Conclusion:Cognitive reappraisal has a mediating effect on the relationship between medical students'MBTI personality traits and empathy,guiding medical students to improve empathy abilities using cognitive reappraisal.Medical students can further understand their strengths and weaknesses by identifying their MBTI types,and improve their empathy ability in a targeted manner,to better adapt to future medical work.
