Reimagining Intergroup Apologies: A Bottom-Up Approach to Social Cohesion

Abstract

Most research on collective apologies focuses on how victims respond, but little is known about how apologising affects members of advantaged groups. In three experiments with White Americans (N = 800), participants apologised to the Black community for the killing of George Floyd. Apologising increased—rather than reduced—feelings of guilt and strengthened support for the #BlackLivesMatter movement, driven by image concerns and solidarity motives.
These effects were strongest among those highly identified with being White and did not harm wellbeing or ingroup positivity. Intergroup apologies, therefore, can promote social change without emotional costs for the transgressor group.