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Sense of Responsibility and Empathy: Bridging the Gap Between Attributions and Helping Behaviours

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Intergroup Helping

Abstract

In this chapter, we propose a conceptual framework in which we integrate the literature on attribution and intergroup helping behaviour. We discuss how conceptions of internal, external and fatalistic attributions of poverty relate to helping behaviours. The importance of looking for possible mediators to help untangle the association between attributions and behaviour is emphasised. Based on this idea, we examined different approaches to the link among attributions, emotions and intergroup helping behaviour. We suggest that, social responsibility and empathy can be mediators that contribute to our understanding of the process by which attributions have an impact on intergroup helping. To support our conceptual framework, we present preliminary analyses of a study conducted in Chile in the context of helping the poor through monetary, material and temporal donations. Results showed that the relation between external attributions and intergroup helping was partially mediated by social responsibility and empathy, whereas the link between fatalistic attributions and intergroup helping was partially mediated by empathy. Theoretical and practical implications for social cohesion are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by Centro de Medición Mide UC, and supported by the Center for Social Conflict and Cohesion Studies (COES, FONDAP/15130009) and Anillos CONICYT (SOC1103).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Escuela de Psicología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackenna, 4860, Santiago de Chile, Chile

    Roberto González

  2. Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, TW20 0EX, UK

    Siugmin Lay

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  1. Roberto González
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Correspondence to Roberto González .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social and Organisational Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Esther van Leeuwen

  2. Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, United Kingdom

    Hanna Zagefka

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González, R., Lay, S. (2017). Sense of Responsibility and Empathy: Bridging the Gap Between Attributions and Helping Behaviours. In: van Leeuwen, E., Zagefka, H. (eds) Intergroup Helping. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53026-0_16

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