Abstract

The current research examined the interplay between common ingroup identity and two different types of perspective-taking (self-focused vs. other-focused) on outgroup empathy and positive intergroup behaviors in the context of North-South relations in Korea. Two laboratory studies were conducted with South Korean undergraduates. Study 1 measured levels of common ingroup identity (‘Han’ ethnicity), while Study 2 manipulated the salience of common ingroup identity among the participants. Both studies also independently manipulated the two types of perspective-taking. In both studies, we found evidence that other-focused perspective-taking enhanced outgroup empathy (cognitive empathy in Study 1, affective empathy in Study 2) to a greater extent than did self-focused perspective-taking when participants had a strong common ingroup identity. By contrast, when common ingroup identity was weak, the impact of the two types of perspective-taking on outgroup empathy did not differ from each other. Moreover, outgroup empathy positively predicted favorable intergroup behavioral intentions (in Study 2), indicating that the interactive effect of common ingroup identity and other-focused perspective-taking toward outgroup members indirectly predicted positive intergroup behavior. We discuss the implications of our findings for the role of outgroup empathy in the context of intractable intergroup conflict and reconciliations.