The Effects of Apology and Perceived Status Relations on Willingness of Israeli-Arabs to Seek Help From Israeli-Jews

摘要

Intergroup relations are complicated and affected by multiple factors. The present research extends previous work on relations between Israeli-Arabs and Israeli-Jews by examining the effect of perceived status relations and intergroup apology on help-seeking behavior. We predicted that being presented with a formal apology from a Jewish leader (compared to no apology) when status relations were presented as unstable (rather than stable), would make Israeli-Arabs especially reluctant to seek dependency-oriented help, relative to autonomy-oriented help, from an Israeli-Jewish helper. In line with our predictions, findings indicated that Israeli-Arab participants believed that Israeli-Arabs would be less likely to seek dependency-than autonomy-oriented help under unstable status relations, especially after a formal intergroup apology. These results suggest that such a formal intergroup apology may sometimes increase suspicion and skepticism about the motivations of the apologizing group. Theoretical and practical implications for conflict resolution processes are discussed.