Homofobia sutil y manifiesta: mecanismos de desconexión moral y dimensiones de la empatía

Abstract

The significant social and legal advances in today’s society have not managed to eradicate the hostility suffered by the LGBTI collective (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex). This research analyses the moral disengagement mechanisms that are related to homophobic attitudes, as well as the relation between cognitive and affective empathy and subtle and manifest homophobia. A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out. The sample was made up of 849 university. A non-probabilistic convenience sampling was carried out to select the participants. The instruments used were the Subtle & Manifest Homophobic Scale (SMHS), the Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement Scale (MMDS) and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). Considering the nature of the variables and the sample size, parametric tests were used. The results indicate that all mechanisms of moral disengagement are related to discriminatory attitudes towards the LGBTI community, that higher levels of subtle and overt homophobia are associated with lower cognitive and affective empathy among young people, and that both moral disengagement and empathy can act as predictors of discriminatory attitudes based on sexual orientation. In conclusion, it is essential to address the mechanisms of moral disengagement used by young people, as well as the dimensions of empathy, such as empathic concern and perspective-taking, in order to prevent and modify discriminatory attitudes.

Keywords:

homophobia moral disengagement empathy discrimination university students

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