Using Empathy to Improve Intergroup Attitudes and Relations

Recently, social psychologists have given considerable attention to the possibility that empathy can be used to improve intergroup attitudes and relations. For this possibility to bear practical fruit, it is important to know what is meant by empathy because different researchers use the term to ref...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSocial issues and policy review Vol. 3; no. 1; pp. 141 - 177
Main Authors Batson, C. Daniel, Ahmad, Nadia Y.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.12.2009
Subjects
Attitudes
Conflict
Empathy
Intergroup Relations
Psychological Research
Psychological Theories
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Summary:Recently, social psychologists have given considerable attention to the possibility that empathy can be used to improve intergroup attitudes and relations. For this possibility to bear practical fruit, it is important to know what is meant by empathy because different researchers use the term to refer to different psychological states. It is also important to understand how each of these empathy states might affect intergroup relations by reviewing theory and research on the psychological processes involved, and it is important to consider the limitations of each form of empathy as a source of improved intergroup relations. Finally, it is important to consider the role of different empathy states in existing programs designed to improve intergroup relations, whether in protracted political conflicts, in educational settings, or via media. In this article, we pursue each of these goals.
Bibliography:ark:/67375/WNG-HWGS84S1-M
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ArticleID:SIPR1013
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1751-2395
1751-2409
DOI:10.1111/j.1751-2409.2009.01013.x