Empathy and Disgust as Predictors of Attitude towards Homosexuals

Abstract

The aim of the study was to explore the role of empathy and disgust in predicting attitude towards homosexuals. Works of (Herek, 2000) and (Pettigrew, 2006) and suggest attitude towards homosexuals is predicted by a range of factors such as personal beliefs, contact with LGBTQ+. Disgust Sensitivity is prominently used in other studies (Tybur, 2009) and (Inbar, 2009) to predict attitude. A novel addition to this framework is empathy’s role in predicting attitude towards homosexuals. Two studies were conducted to explore this relationship. First study used a correlational study to determine empathy and disgust of heterosexuals to predict attitude towards homosexuals. Furthermore, differences in empathy, disgust and attitude were seen across young adults (age range) and older adults (age range). The second study exposed participants to images of gays and queer (LBT) sharing a range of intimate moments. This was also done in two stages i.e., young and old. Empathy, attitude and disgust showed differences across gays and LBT in older adults and younger adults. These results shed light in a complex interplay between disgust and empathy in predicting attitude towards outgroup members. Additionally, this study has implications in stigma prevention by designing effective intervention programs.