Justify your research

Research Justification
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Empathy increases the possibility of morality in a person.
Morality encompasses psychological mechanisms that positively impact the lives of others such as fairness, positive interpersonal relationships, justice among other such notions (Masto, 2015). On the other hand, Marto (2015) highlights that empathy refers to the ability to get aroused by the emotions and feelings of others and care for their welfare. In the past decades, the terms empathy and morality have become popular and are being used interchangeably. As a result, extensive research both theoretical and empirical has been carried out on the two issues and also their usage has risen notably in public areas and by the media. In most scenarios, morality is seen as laying a foundation for empathy hence the terms being interchangeably used. This research paper will seek to identify the relationships that exist between morality and empathy. Considering that the links might not be straightforward at first glance, the study will provide a clear distinction of the various facets of empathy since each has a unique influence on morality that defines the moral behaviors of individuals.
The paper will start by exploring the magnitude of morality and empathy by reviewing the literature of other researchers. A research study will then be carried out using a sampled population, the research findings and discussion will be provided. Although research has been done in the past concerning the relationship between empathy and morality, this research is essential since it will make use of empirical evidence and theories that have not been applied in past studies.

For instance, to justify and support the hypothesis, social neuroscience, evolutionary biology, development theories, and behavioral models will be integrated. These research findings provide an equivocal relationship between the two terms hence supporting the hypothesis of empathy increasing the possibilities of morality in an individual.
As Goldman (2013) explains, empathy plays a crucial role in building interpersonal relationships among teammates. For instance, early attachments between a child and a caregiver, and supportive group relationships among others hence promoting morality. If individuals in such positions lack empathy, there are high chances of psychopathy which results in callous disregard for the wellbeing of others and profound appreciation of the impacts of moral behaviors. Additionally, past research on patients with neurological damages and healthy individuals shows that lack of empathic concerns results to utilitarian judgments (Goldman, 2013).
Most of the available literature demonstrates that empathy and morality are better when used differently by indicating that interchanging them can result to the violation of one of them. For instance, as Decety & Cowell (2014) explain, empathy has potential of preventing the essential rationalization of moral violations. Decety & Cowell (2014) further argue that social psychology reveals that morality and empathy are two independent terms each with a different motive and goal. The study goes on to explain that the ideas of morality and empathy conflict in resource allocation where empathy results to immorality. For instance, empathy leads to discrimination where one favors family members when allocating resources. As a result, this research is essential as it will demonstrate how empathy increases the possibilities of individuals being moral hence filling the existing research gap on the relationship between the two issues.
This research will give an illumination of the complex relationships that exist between empathy and morality by basing its argument on empirical research and theories in developmental psychology, developmental theories, and social neuroscience. The paper will first offer a summary overview of what the two issues encompass by clarifying the notions of each and highlighting the causes of each.
References
Decety, J., & Cowell, J. M. (2014). Friends or foes: Is empathy necessary for moral behavior? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 9(5), 525-537.
Goldman, A. I. (2013). Empathy, mind, and morals. The American Philosophical Association Centennial Series, 79-103.
Masto, M. (2015). Empathy and its role in morality. The Southern Journal of Philosophy, 53(1), 74-96.