The influence of perceived suffering and vulnerability on the experience of pity

Pity is viewed as a function of two classes of perceived stimulus features and their interaction: the extent to which a person (when still healthy and nonsuffering) is perceived as vulnerable to physical harm, and the perceived intensity of his or her current suffering. Consistent with this view, Ex...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of social psychology 2001-11, Vol.31 (6), p.659-676
Main Author: Dijker, Anton J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arousal
Biological and medical sciences
Emotions
Feelings
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human behaviour
Perceptions
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Social attribution, perception and cognition
Social interaction
Social psychology
Suffering
Sympathy
Vulnerability
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Summary:Pity is viewed as a function of two classes of perceived stimulus features and their interaction: the extent to which a person (when still healthy and nonsuffering) is perceived as vulnerable to physical harm, and the perceived intensity of his or her current suffering. Consistent with this view, Experiment 1 (N = 141) showed that participants' pity reactions to photographs of persons expressing pain were influenced by age‐related, sex‐related, and postural vulnerability cues. Experiment 2 (N = 258) manipulated both target's vulnerability by varying the muscularity of the same adult male stimulus and the intensity of suffering. As predicted, an interaction of vulnerability and suffering was found. Implications for the study of helping behavior are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN:0046-2772
1099-0992
DOI:10.1002/ejsp.54