On the impact of the genocide on the intergroup empathy bias between former perpetrators, survivors and their offspring in Rwanda.

Abstract

Studying what factors influence the ability to resonate with the pain of others in the aftermath of a genocide and how this extends to the following generation is critical for understand better the perpetuation of conflicts. In the present study conducted in Rwanda, we recruited former genocide perpetrators, survivors and their respective offspring and investigated how their neural response to the pain of others is modulated when they visualized pictures of former perpetrators, survivors or their children. We further evaluated how the impact of the genocide and psychological factors associated with a trauma influenced the results. Results showed that the intergroup empathy bias, that is, a reduced neural response to the pain of the outgroup, is present for both individuals alive during the genocide and their offspring. We also observed that a higher number of stressors experienced during the genocide was associated with a higher reduction of the neural response to the pain of others, even towards the children of one’s own ingroup. Finally, we observed that a deliberate and free decision to reconcile is associated with a higher neural response to the pain of others. The results may be central for encouraging reconciliation in peacebuilding programs and for fostering empathic repair after a trauma.