Abstract
This study was aimed at testing if exposure to a narrative about a heroic helper, can increment responsibility—taking about past ingroup wrongdoings and reduce prejudice and intergroup hostility in the present. We used the narrative of a Hungarian hero in an experiment who acted for targets of the Holocaust in Hungary, and measured if this narrative might increase collective responsibility for the Holocaust, decrease Hungarians’ hostile attitudes towards the Jewish minority, and this effect could be expanded to ongoing conflicts with other minorities. We used an experimental group (N = 99) exposed to the narrative, and a control group (N = 101) that was not. Both groups completed a test-battery measuring national identification, empathy, responsibility-taking, and prejudice. Data were analyzed with SPSS, and open-ended questions were content—analyzed by four independent coders. Results show that learning about a heroic helper increased acceptance of responsibility for the Holocaust and empathic abilities, whereas these effects were not generalized to current intergroup relations.
Highlights
This study was aimed at testing if exposure to a narrative about a heroic helper, can increment responsibility—taking about past ingroup wrongdoings and reduce prejudice and intergroup hostility in the present
We found that the story about the Hungarian heroic helper increased the responsibility attributed to the Hungarians for the Holocaust (Mexperimental = 4.414; Mcontrol = 3.861; t(198) = 2.201, p = 0.029, d = 0.31), while this effect was not generalized to perception of the Gypsy-majority intergroup relation as conflictual29, to individual responsibility for the intergroup conflict30, or to social distance31
Attachment was related to the emotional competences of empathy in both conditions, it showed a lower correlation with empathic concern in the experimental condition
Summary
This study was aimed at testing if exposure to a narrative about a heroic helper, can increment responsibility—taking about past ingroup wrongdoings and reduce prejudice and intergroup hostility in the present. We assumed that acknowledging alternative narratives of heroic individuals, disrupting the sense of collective and sharping individual decision-making and responsibility can help to reframe the past, change the way of elaboration and the arousen emotional needs as well. These narratives could affect both victims and perpetrators while the quality of their identification with the group could play a role on it
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