Cook, Lara C
1.06 MB of textual records (PDF)
Audience: Undergraduate. -- Dissertation: Thesis (B. A.). -- Algoma University, 2007. -- Submitted in partial fulfillment of course requirements for PSYC 4105. -- Includes tables. -- Contents: Literature review / Thesis.
An alternative approach to decreasing stigmatizing attitudes was investigated. Stigmatization is a major social issue for persons with mental illness. It can result in lower life satisfaction. Interventions such as public education and personal therapy are not always effective in reducing stigmatization. However, increasing empathy with mentally ill persons may be a more effective approach. This experiment measured stigmatizing attitudes towards a person with mental illness or physical disability after manipulating the level of empathy. University students were randomly assigned to one of six groups. Participants read a scenario of a person with mental illness or a physical disability. The scenario was accompanied by information intended to induce low, medium or high empathy conditions. The manipulation of empathy was successful in decreasing stigmatization in each of the six groups. Results indicated that participants were more empathetic towards persons with physical disabilities than mental illness.
