Abstract

The present research examined the role of perspective-taking foci (i.e., feeling-focus vs. thinking-focus) in an intergroup context involving differences in social status (i.e., males vs. females). Building on previous research on intergroup empathy, we stipulated that, compared to those who take the perspective of an outgroup target (i.e., a female) with a feeling-focus, males taking the perspective of the target with a thinking-focus would experience stronger intergroup perceptions about the target. This heightened awareness of ingroup/outgroup distinction engendered by a thinking-focus in perspective-taking was expected to lower the perceived personal relevance of gender inequality on the part of a male perspective-taker, leading to weak intentions to participate in allyship behavior for females. In Study 1 (N = 80) and Study 2 (N = 81), we asked male college students in Korea to take the perspective of a female target experiencing gender discrimination at work either by focusing on what she might be thinking or how she might be feeling in such a situation. We then asked the participants to indicate the perceived personal relevance of gender discrimination in Korea and their intention to engage in allyship for females. Results indicated, as expected, that allyship intention was weaker in the thinking-focus condition than in the feeling-focus condition, and this effect was mediated by the perceived personal relevance of the issue. Based on these results, implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.