The Importance of Terminal Values and Religious Experience of God’s Presence and God’s Absence in the Lives of University Students with Various Levels of Empathy

The aims of the research I embarked on were: (a) to show the preference of terminal values in personal and in social character, as well to determine the level of religious experience—God’s presence and God’s absence, in groups of young people characterized by a high and low level of empathy and (b) to show the relation between terminal values in personal and in social character and religious experience: God’s presence and God’s absence, in groups of young people with a high and low level of empathy. In the research, the following methods were applied: The Scale of Religious Experience by Głaz—in order to define the level of religious experience: God’s presence and God’s absence, and Mehrabian and Epstein’s Questionnaire Measure of Emotional Empathy—in order to define the level of empathy. In order to show the terminal values preference amongst young people, the Rokeach Value Survey was applied. The research was carried out in Kraków amongst 200 university students. The research has shown that students with a high level of empathy reveal a higher level of experience of God’s presence than the people with a low level of it. University students with a high level of empathy amongst terminal values prefer most two values in personal character, that is wisdom and pleasure, and one in social character—family security. Similarly, students with a low level of empathy prefer most also two values in personal character, that is pleasure and freedom, and one in social character—family security. In the group of people with a high level of empathy, it is value in personal character—a sense of accomplishment—that contribute more to explaining the variance of religious experience of God’s presence, and in group of people with a low level of empathy, it is social value—social recognition. Whereas in the group of people with a high level of empathy it is value in social character—equality—that contribute more to explaining the variance of religious experience of God’s absence, and in group of people with a low level of empathy, it is personal value—salvation.