Effects of Fantasy and Imagery Vividness During Reading on Empathy

Fantasy is often looked at through a psychopathological lens and is often associated with psychopathological disorders. In the current research study, fantasy is conceptualised as two distinct personality constructs instead, imaginative and creative fantasy. Imaginative fantasy refers to individual imaginative propensity while creative fantasy determines extent of engagement in creative production. Imagery vividness during reading (IVDR) can be understood as the ability to conjure mental picturizations of a narrative text's contents. Fantasy and imagery vividness are said to have an impact on empathy, yet these variables have not been investigated in conjunction. The results from a sample of 119 undergraduate students residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) revealed that the constructs of fantasy, IVDR and empathy are all significantly positively associated with one another and that IVDR is a full mediator between each construct of fantasy and empathy. The findings demonstrate and propose an initial framework depicting how fantasy personalities that exhibit high levels of IVDR use this variable as a channel to access and understand empathy.