This study aims to examine the relationship between empathy and emotional independence in 9th grade students of SMP Sejahtera Koja, North Jakarta. The background of this study is the importance of empathy as an aspect of emotional intelligence in social interaction, which is increasingly fading among adolescents, as well as the role of emotional independence as an indicator of individual emotional maturity. The study used a quantitative approach with 69 respondents, through data collection using a Likert scale-based questionnaire. The results of simple linear regression analysis showed that the effect of empathy on emotional independence is very small (R value = 0.194 and coefficient of determination of 3.8%). This finding suggests that other factors, such as parenting, environment and social interaction, are more dominant in influencing emotional independence. This study is expected to contribute to the development of a holistic education program in improving students' empathy and emotional independence.
