Empathy, Assertiveness and Professional Socialization in Library Education

Abstract

This article reports a longitudinal study which contrasted the impact of professional socialization in library and counselor education on their respective students. The empathy and assertiveness of library students in one Mid-western university were compared with those of their peers in counseling, first in 1992 at the commencement of their programs; then in 1994 on graduation. In 1992, beginning library students were differentiated from their counseling peers on one dimension of the empathy sub-scale. By 1994, the cohorts were undifferentiated both in their empathy and assertiveness. The implications of these findings for library education are discussed.