Empathetic collective angst predicts perpetrator group members' support for the empowerment of the victimized group

Although victimized groups have a need to recover diminished power, perpetrator groups are often reluctant to support actions that may undermine their own systemic advantages. We hypothesized that perpetrator group members' experience of empathetic collective angst-a group-based emotion focused on concern for the future vitality of an outgroup-mediates the relation between the perception of threat to the future of the victimized group and support for policies that may satisfy the group's empowerment. Across 5 studies and 3 distinct intergroup contexts (victimization of Aboriginal Canadians by non-Aboriginal Canadians, Native Americans by non-Native Americans, and French Canadians by Anglophone Canadians), we showed that perpetrator group members who perceive (Study 1) or are manipulated to perceive (Studies 2-5) that the victimized group is under existential threat (vs. secure) experience greater empathetic collective angst for the victimized group. In no study did perceived existential threat to the victimized group influence collective guilt-a group-based emotion focused on illegitimate harms committed against an outgroup. Empathetic collective angst mediated the relation between perceived existential threat and support for victimized group empowerment (e.g., self-determination). Study 4 found that the relation between empathetic collective angst and support for victimized group empowerment was stronger among perpetrator group members than bystander group members. A synthesis of the findings showed that the indirect effect was statistically significant across studies. Results suggest that, in the aftermath of victimization, empathetic collective angst motivates perpetrator group members to support policies that may satisfy victims' power needs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).