When empathy predicts greater support for intergroup violence: Counter-dominance against the U.S. in Syria and Lebanon

Abstract

For many Arabs, American power and how to contest it has been a crucial issue. We tested the novel hypothesis that people higher in empathy might support attacking the US military to enact counter-dominance. Using random samples of 200 Syrian and 198 Lebanese residents in March, 2010, we examined whether approval of violence was predicted by empathic concern and counter-dominance orientation, and the personal values underlying each. Empathic concern and counter-dominance shared the same underlying values in both countries: they were positively associated with self-transcendence and conservation, and negatively associated with self-enhancement and openness-to-change. We tested whether perceived power differences between Arabs and the U.S. moderated the extent to which support for violence was predicted by empathy. Empathy positively predicted support for violence against the U.S., especially in Syria when perceived power of the U.S. relative to Arabs was higher. Counter-dominance mediated the positive relationship between empathy and support for violence against the U.S. in both countries. The importance of power dynamics in understanding when empathy is associated with support for violence is discussed.

Keywords

• Empathy
• Counter-dominance
• Social dominance orientation
• Values
• Intergroup violence