Perspective taking can weaken fear-based realistic threat via induced empathy.

Evidence

It is possible that perspective-taking reduces intergroup threat because the empathy induced may counter the negative emotions associated with intergroup threat (e.g., fear, anger). For example, realistic threats often arise from fear that an outgroup will take resources away from the ingroup, but once a situation is seen from another viewpoint, this fear may be attenuated either by the empathy induced or the realization that the Another potential means of reducing intergroup threat is to target social categorization processes. — Blake M. Riek, Eric W. Mania, and Samuel L. Gaertner, Intergroup Threat and Outgroup Attitudes, 166

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Empathy manipulations can reliably induce perpetrator perspective-taking in experiments — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 1064; Empathy is a vicarious emotional state produced by perspective-taking — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1835; Perspective shifts can transform fear into relief. — Leo Tolstoy, A Confession, 221 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Empathy manipulations can reliably induce perpetrator perspective-taking in experiments #expands (0.85) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 1064
• Taking another group’s perspective activates self-concept and increases perceived self-other overlap #expands (0.84) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 1091
• Empathy is a vicarious emotional state produced by perspective-taking #expands (0.82) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1835
• Perspective-taking reduces bias by transferring self-attributes onto outgroup members. #expands (0.80) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1836
• Experimentally manipulated realistic threat shows far weaker attitude effects than measured threat #qualifies (0.78) — Blake M. Riek, Eric W. Mania, and Samuel L. Gaertner, Intergroup Threat and Outgroup Attitudes, 119
• Fear suppresses sympathy because the two emotions drive opposite behavioral tendencies #complicates (0.76) — Sherman A. Lee, Chelsea A. Reid, Stephen D. Short, Jeffrey A. Gibbons, Ruth Yeh, and Matthew L. Campbell, Fear of Muslims, 116
• Perspective shifts can transform fear into relief. #corroborates (0.75) — Leo Tolstoy, A Confession, 221
• Salient threat cues raise perceived threat probability and trigger preemptive retaliation #qualifies (0.74) — Diego Gambetta, Trust - Making and Breaking Cooperative…, 694
• Perspective-taking with victims makes strong identifiers deny uniformity of wrongdoing #complicates (0.72) — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt, 1087
• Brecht’s estrangement-effect breaks spectatorial empathy to make social causality visible #complicates (0.71) — Herbert Marcuse, One-Dimensional Man, 307