НЕЗАПОСЛЕНОСТ И СПРЕМНОСТ ЗА ЕМПАТИЈУ КАО ПРЕДИКТОРИ НАцИОНАЛНОГ ИДЕНТИТЕТА

In times of economic crisis and globalization trends, the question of national identity has acquired special significance. This paper examines the individual differences and demographic factors that contribute to its preservation and strengthening. This research was conducted in order to establish the role of employment status and readiness for empathy in predicting individual differences in identification with a national group. In a sample of 107 respondents (66.4% female, 69.2% the employed) aged from 21 to 62 years, we applied the following instruments: Readiness for empathy questionnaire, National identity scale and a brief socio-demographic questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analysis was applied to investigate the prediction structure of national identity based on the employment status, and 4 dimensions of empathy: Empathy with positive emotional states, Empathy with negative emotional states, Emotional reactions provoked by empathy, and Empathy as a social role. The final model significantly explains 15 % of the variance of national identity. Employment and Empathy with negative emotional states were singled out as predictors of national identity as well as the Emotional reactions provoked by empathy, where a higher level is associated with less distinctive national identity.