Personal Values and Intergroup Empathy

Empirical evidence shows that personal values have an influence on empathy in intrapersonal relationships. We examine the relationship between the values of self-enhancement and self-transcendence among members of the majority group (Israeli Jews) and empathy towards in-group and out-group members (Israeli Arabs). Two hundred and ninety-seven Israeli Jewish students took part in the study. While the results show that self-transcendence values have a consistent effect on empathy whether it is towards in-group or out-group members, the hypotheses regarding the impact of self-enhancement values on empathy towards out-group members were partly supported. We discuss the universality of self-transcendence values in their influence on empathy in different contexts and emphasize the complex relationships among in-group members.