The Gross Empathic Function (GEF) Index is the world’s first integrated framework for measuring the emotional health and developmental maturity of societies, institutions, and human relationships.
Created by Roland Y. Kim, Ph.D., the GEF Index maps how nations—and the institutions within them—operate along the Five Stages of Emotional Civilization:
Stage 1 — Fear–Dependence
Stage 2 — Anger–Detachment
Stage 3 — Guilt–Reparation
Stage 4 — Freedom–Independence
Stage 5 — Empathy–Integration
The GEF Index brings together insights from
psychology, trauma studies, object relations theory, attachment science, sociology, political science, and public policy—creating a unified emotional systems science that explains why some societies thrive while others polarize, collapse, or erupt into violence.
The Global GEF Atlas evaluates countries across five emotional domains:
Safety & Regulation
Dignity vs. Humiliation Norms
Justice & Fairness
Institutional Repair Capacity
Empathy Infrastructure
(family → childcare → schools → healthcare → workplace → government → justice)
Using these metrics, each nation is assigned a Stage 1–5 rating, revealing its emotional strengths, blind spots, and developmental trajectory.
✔ Explore scores for dozens of countries
✔ Read country-by-country analyses
✔ Compare regions and global trends
✔ Download the annual dataset
👉 View the Global Atlas →
Human systems are emotional systems.
To understand a nation, you must measure each layer of its emotional infrastructure.
GEFindex.org provides nine validated measurement tools:
GIEF — Gross Individual Empathic Function
GFEF — Gross Family Empathic Function
CCE-EF — Childcare Empathic Function
GSEF — Gross School Empathic Function
HC-EF — Healthcare Empathic Function
GOEF — Gross Organizational Empathic Function
Gov-EF — Governance Empathic Function
J-EF — Justice System Empathic Function
Empathy is not a sentiment.
It is a regulatory capacity, the foundation of:
Healthy families
Attuned childcare
Safe schools
Trauma-informed medical care
Humane workplaces
Dignity-centered governance
Fair justice systems
Stable democracies
Non-violent societies
Where empathy and emotional regulation collapse, the result is:
polarization
humiliation cultures
radicalization
family breakdown
youth violence
corruption
collective rage
rising suicide/homicide patterns
GEFindex.org exists to map, measure, and prevent these patterns—offering developmental pathways toward Stage-5 Empathy–Integration.
Researchers, policymakers, educators, clinicians, and NGOs can access:
✔ Full manuals for all 9 indices (PDF)
✔ Scoring templates
✔ Global Atlas (CSV/PDF)
✔ Country profile summaries
✔ Whitepapers and methodology notes
👉 Download Resources →Coming Soon
GEFindex.org invites collaboration from:
Governments
Universities
International organizations
Researchers
Nonprofits
Trauma and peacebuilding institutions
Together, we can build safer, more empathic, and more emotionally mature societies.
Measuring the Emotional Maturity of Nations, Institutions, and Human Systems: A Global Framework for Emotional Civilization, Empathy Infrastructure, and Trauma-Informed Governance
The GEF Index is a groundbreaking tool that measures the emotional maturity of civilizations, transforming fear into safety and conflict into dialogue. Explore how this innovative index can enhance our understanding of relational health across societies.
The Gross Empathic Function (GEF) Index is the world’s first integrated framework for measuring the emotional health and developmental maturity of societies, institutions, and human relationships.
Created by Roland Y. Kim, Ph.D., the GEF Index maps how nations—and the institutions within them—operate along the Five Stages of Emotional Civilization:
Stage 1 — Fear–Dependence
Stage 2 — Anger–Detachment
Stage 3 — Guilt–Reparation
Stage 4 — Freedom–Independence
Stage 5 — Empathy–Integration
The GEF Index brings together insights from
psychology, trauma studies, object relations theory, attachment science, sociology, political science, and public policy—creating a unified emotional systems science that explains why some societies thrive while others polarize, collapse, or erupt into violence.
The Global GEF Atlas evaluates countries across five emotional domains:
Safety & Regulation
Dignity vs. Humiliation Norms
Justice & Fairness
Institutional Repair Capacity
Empathy Infrastructure
(family → childcare → schools → healthcare → workplace → government → justice)
Using these metrics, each nation is assigned a Stage 1–5 rating, revealing its emotional strengths, blind spots, and developmental trajectory.
✔ Explore scores for dozens of countries
✔ Read country-by-country analyses
✔ Compare regions and global trends
✔ Download the annual dataset
👉 View the Global Atlas →
Human systems are emotional systems.
To understand a nation, you must measure each layer of its emotional infrastructure.
GEFindex.org provides nine validated measurement tools:
GIEF — Gross Individual Empathic Function
GFEF — Gross Family Empathic Function
CCE-EF — Childcare Empathic Function
GSEF — Gross School Empathic Function
HC-EF — Healthcare Empathic Function
GOEF — Gross Organizational Empathic Function
Gov-EF — Governance Empathic Function
J-EF — Justice System Empathic Function
Empathy is not a sentiment.
It is a regulatory capacity, the foundation of:
Healthy families
Attuned childcare
Safe schools
Trauma-informed medical care
Humane workplaces
Dignity-centered governance
Fair justice systems
Stable democracies
Non-violent societies
Where empathy and emotional regulation collapse, the result is:
polarization
humiliation cultures
radicalization
family breakdown
youth violence
corruption
collective rage
rising suicide/homicide patterns
GEFindex.org exists to map, measure, and prevent these patterns—offering developmental pathways toward Stage-5 Empathy–Integration.
Researchers, policymakers, educators, clinicians, and NGOs can access:
✔ Full manuals for all 9 indices (PDF)
✔ Scoring templates
✔ Global Atlas (CSV/PDF)
✔ Country profile summaries
✔ Whitepapers and methodology notes
👉 Download Resources →Coming Soon
GEFindex.org invites collaboration from:
Governments
Universities
International organizations
Researchers
Nonprofits
Trauma and peacebuilding institutions
Together, we can build safer, more empathic, and more emotionally mature societies.
