Skip to main content
Search
Search
    Quick Search anywhere
    Quick search in Citations
Advanced Search
Skip main navigationClose Drawer MenuOpen Drawer Menu
Previous article
Next article
Original Article

Comparison of the Effects of Individual and Group-Level Perspective Taking on Intergroup Reconciliation

Published Online:October 04, 2016https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000285

Abstract

Abstract. We investigated the effects of different perspective taking instructions on emotional variables in the context of intergroup reconciliation. In three experiments we found that individual-level and group-level perspective taking increased willingness to compensate an outgroup for historical transgressions of the ingroup. The data suggests that the two forms of perspective taking trigger different psychological processes. Individual-level perspective taking was more strongly linked to feelings of empathy. Group-level perspective taking increased feelings of collective guilt. Collective guilt mediated the positive effect of group-level perspective taking on willingness to compensate. No such effect was found for individual-level perspective taking.

References

  • Barth, M., Jugert, P., Wutzler, M. & Fritsche, I. (2015). Absolute moral standards and global identity as independent predictors of collective action against global injustice. European Journal of Social Psychology, 45, 918–930. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.2160 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Batson, C. D. (1991). The altruism question: Toward a social psychological answer. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Batson, C. D. (2009). Two forms of perspective taking: Imagining how another feels and imagining how you would feel. In K. D. MarkmanW. M. KleinJ. A. SuhrEds., Handbook of imagination and mental simulation (pp. 267–279). New York, NY: Psychology Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Batson, C. D., Chang, J., Orr, R. & Rowland, J. (2002). Empathy, attitudes and action: Can feeling for a member of a stigmatized group motivate one to help the group? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 1656–1666. doi: 10.1177/014616702237647 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Batson, C. D., Early, S. & Salvarini, G. (1997). Perspective taking: Imagining how another feels versus imagining how you would feel. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23, 751–758. doi: 10.1177/0146167297237008 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Batson, C. D., Polycarpou, M. P., Harmon-Jones, E., Imhoff, H. J., Mitchener, E. C., Bednar, L. L., … Hillberger, L. (1997). Empathy and attitudes: Can feeling for a member of a stigmatized group improve feelings toward the group? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 105–118. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.72.1.105 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Bilali, R. & Vollhardt, J. (2013). Priming effects of a reconciliation radio drama on historical perspective-taking in the aftermath of mass violence in Rwanda. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49, 144–151. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2012.08.011 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Bilewicz, M. (2009). Perspective taking and intergroup helping intentions: The moderating role of power Relations. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 39, 2779–2786. doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2009.00548.x First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Brown, R. & Cehajic, S. (2008). Dealing with the past and facing the future: Mediators of the effects of collective guilt and shame in Bosnia. European Journal of Social Psychology, 38, 669–684. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.466 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Bruckmüller, S., Hegarty, P. & Abele, A. E. (2012). Framing gender differences: Linguistic normativity affects perceptions of power and gender stereotypes. European Journal of Social Psychology, 42, 210–218. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.858 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Bruneau, E. G. & Saxe, R. (2012). The power of being heard: The benefits of “perspective-giving” in the context of intergroup conflict. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48, 855–866. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2012.02.017 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Chow, R. M. & Galak, J. (2012). The effect of inequality frames on support for redistributive tax policies. Psychological Science, 23, 1467–1469. doi: 10.1177/0956797612450035 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Chung, N. (2011). Korean adolescent girls’ addictive use of mobile phones to maintain interpersonal solidarity. Social Behavior and Personality, 39, 1349–1358. doi: 10.2224/sbp.2011.39.10.1349 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Davis, M. H. (1994). Empathy: A social psychological approach. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Davis, M. H., Conklin, L., Smith, A. & Luce, C. (1996). Effect of perspective taking on the cognitive representation of persons: A merging of self and other. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 713–726. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.70.4.713 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Dovidio, J. F., Allen, J. L. & Schroeder, D. A. (1990). Specificity of empathy-induced helping: Evidence for altruistic motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 249–260. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.59.2.249 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Dovidio, J. F., ten Vergert, M., Stewart, T. L., Gaertner, S. L., Johnson, J. D., Esses, V. M., … Pearson, A. R. (2004). Perspective and prejudice: Antecedents and mediating mechanisms. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 1537–1549. doi: 10.1177/0146167204271177 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Epley, N., Caruso, E. & Bazerman, M. H. (2006). When perspective taking increases taking: Reactive egoism in social interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 872–889. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.91.5.872 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Erlandsson, A., Björklund, F. & Bäckström, M. (2015). Emotional reactions, perceived impact and perceived responsibility mediate the identifiable victim effect, proportion dominance effect and in-group effect respectively. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 127, 1–14. doi: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2014.11.003 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Figueiredo, A., Doosje, B., Valentim, J. P. & Zebel, S. (2010). Dealing with past colonial conflicts: How perceived characteristics of the victimized outgroup can influence the experience of group-based guilt. International Journal of Conflict and Violence, 4, 89–105. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Finlay, K. A. & Stephan, W. G. (2000). Improving intergroup relations: The effects of empathy on racial attitudes. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 30, 1720–1737. doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2000.tb02464.x First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Friedrich, J. & McGuire, A. (2010). Individual differences in reasoning style as a moderator of the identifiable victim effect. Social Influence, 5, 182–201. doi: 10.1080/15534511003707352 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Galinsky, A. D. & Ku, G. (2004). The effects of perspective-taking on prejudice: The moderating role of self-evaluation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 594–604. doi: 10.1177/0146167203262802 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Halloran, M. J. (2007). Indigenous reconciliation in Australia: Do values, identity and collective guilt matter? Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 17, 1–18. doi: 10.1002/casp.876 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Hamilton, D. L. & Sherman, S. J. (1996). Perceiving persons and groups. Psychological Review, 103, 336–355. doi: 10.1037/0033-295X.103.2.336 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York, NY: Guilford Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Iyer, A., Leach, C. W. & Crosby, F. J. (2003). White guilt and racial compensation: The benefits and limits of self-focus. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 117–129. doi: 10.1177/0146167202238377 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Iyer, A., Schmader, T. & Lickel, B. (2007). Why individuals protest the perceived transgressions of their country: The role of anger, shame, and guilt. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 572–587. doi: 10.1177/0146167206297402 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Kogut, T. & Ritov, I. (2005). The “identified victim” effect: An identified group, or just a single individual? Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 18, 157–167. doi: 10.1002/bdm.492 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Lea, M., Spears, R. & de Groot, D. (2001). Knowing me, knowing you: Anonymity effects on social identity processes within groups. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 526–537. doi: 10.1177/0146167201275002 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Leach, C. W., van Zomeren, M., Zebel, S., Vliek, M. L. W., Pennekamp, S. F., Doosje, B. & Ouwerkerk, J. W. (2008). Group-level self-definition and self-investment: A hierarchical (multicomponent) model of in-group identification. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 144–165. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.95.1.144 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Levy, S. R., Freitas, A. L. & Salovey, P. (2002). Construing action abstractly and blurring social distinctions: Implications for perceiving homogeneity among, but also empathizing with and helping, others. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 1224–1238. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.83.5.1224 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Mallett, R. K., Huntsinger, J. R., Sinclair, S. & Swim, J. K. (2008). Seeing through their eyes: When majority group members take collective action on behalf of an outgroup. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 11, 451–470. doi: 10.1177/1368430208095400 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Mead, G. H. (1934). Mind, self, and society. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Nadler, A. & Shnabel, N. (2008). Instrumental and socioemotional paths to intergroup reconciliation and the needs-based model of socioemotional reconciliation. In A. NadlerT. E. MalloyJ. D. FisherEds., The social psychology of intergroup reconciliation (pp. 37–56). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195300314.003.0003 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Noor, M., Brown, R., Gonzalez, R., Manzi, J. & Lewis, C. (2008). On positive psychological outcomes: What helps groups with a history of conflict to forgive and reconcile with each other? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 819–832. doi: 10.1177/0146167208315555 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Regan, D. T. & Totten, J. (1975). Empathy and attribution: Turning observers into actors. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 850–856. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.32.5.850 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Reips, U.-D. (2002). Standards for internet-based experimenting. Experimental Psychology, 49, 243–256. doi: 10.1026/1618-3169.49.4.243 First citation in articleLink, Google Scholar

  • Sessa, V. I. (1996). Using perspective taking to manage conflict and affect in teams. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 32, 101–115. doi: 10.1177/0021886396321007 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Small, D. A., Loewenstein, G. & Slovic, P. (2007). Sympathy and callousness: The impact of deliberative thought on donations to identifiable and statistical victims. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 102, 143–153. doi: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2006.01.005 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Stephan, W. G. & Finlay, K. (1999). The role of empathy in improving intergroup relations. Journal of Social Issues, 55, 729–743. doi: 10.1111/0022-4537.00144 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Stürmer, S., Snyder, M., Kropp, A. & Siem, B. (2006). Empathy-motivated helping: The moderating role of group membership. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 943–956. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Stürmer, S., Snyder, M. & Omoto, A. M. (2005). Prosocial emotions: The moderating role of group membership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 532–546. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Tarrant, M., Dazeley, S. & Cottom, T. (2009). Social categorization and empathy for outgroup members. British Journal of Social Psychology, 48, 427–446. doi: 10.1348/014466608X373589 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • van Zomeren, M., Spears, R., Fischer, A. H. & Leach, C. W. (2004). Put your money where your mouth is! Explaining collective action tendencies through group-based anger and group efficacy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 649–664. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.87.5.649 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Vescio, T. K., Sechrist, G. B. & Paolucci, M. P. (2003). Perspective taking and prejudice reduction: The mediational role of empathy arousal and situational attributions. European Journal of Social Psychology, 33, 455–472. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.163 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Vorauer, J. D. & Sasaki, S. J. (2009). Helpful only in the abstract? Ironic effects of empathy in intergroup interaction. Psychological Science, 20, 191–197. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Zebel, S., Doosje, B. & Spears, R. (2009). How perspective-taking helps and hinders group-based guilt as a function of group identification. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 12, 61–78. doi: 10.1177/1368430208098777 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar