Join us for the School of Social Sciences Brown Bag lecture series on Monday, March 28th at 12pm with Andy Martinez, Assistant Professor of Psychology.
Title: Empathy is my superpower? Empathy, anti-racism, and the liberal-conservative continuum
The present cross-sectional study (N = 311) finds that emotional empathy predicts anti- racism. However, disaggregating the data by the liberal-conservative continuum suggests that empathy is a double-edged sword. For those high in social liberalism, empathy predicted increases in anti-racism. For those high in social conservatism, greater empathy predicted decreases in anti-racism. Thus—far from a one-size-fits-all strategy—increasing empathy may backfire for social conservatives. Results are discussed in terms of a circle of care (Singer, 1981) that may be inclusive (for those on the liberal end of the spectrum) or narrow (for those on the conservative end of the spectrum).
Dr. Andy Martinez is Assistant Professor in the Psychology department. His empirical social psychological research investigates: dehumanization, empathy, and happiness.
The School of Social Sciences Brown Bag Series is always free, open to faculty, staff, students, and the public, and provides a congenial interdisciplinary forum for the discussion of recent research by School of Social Sciences faculty. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021-2022 Brown Bag Series will take place via Zoom.