Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2024
Abstract
Does individual variation in affective empathetic capacity systemically condition a person's willingness to support pre-emptive military action? In this note, I theorize that individuals who are more prone to feeling affective empathy are less likely to support conflict escalation. To evidence this theory, I conduct a survey asking individuals about their willingness to support a military attack against a non-specific rogue state that is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons. The results demonstrate that the probability of an individual supporting such a strike is strongly conditioned on their affective empathetic capacity. This finding holds regardless of model specification and controlling for rational beliefs about material outcomes. Affective empathy may, therefore, have a powerful palliating effect upon the processes that contribute to conflict escalation.
Original Publication Citation
Plithides, M. C. C. (2024). Does affective empathy capacity condition individual variation in support for military escalation? Evidence from a survey vignette. Research & Politics, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/20531680241227588 (Original work published 2024)
Digital Commons @ LMU & LLS Citation
Plithides, Max Constantine Corkan, "Does affective empathy capacity condition individual variation in support for military escalation? Evidence from a survey vignette" (2024). Political Science and International Relations Faculty Works. 316.
https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/poli_fac/316
