EMPATHIC WEEPING, SOCIAL COMMUNICATION, AND COGNITIVE-DISSONANCE

A social-communicative theory of empathic weeping was tested using a 2 x 3 factorial design. Hypotheses were that weeping (a) elicits a supp ortive response and (b) reciprocally communicates support. Cognitive d issonance was hypothesized to underlie empathic weeping. The elicitati on hypothesis or first factor was tested by placing subjects with a we eping vs. nonweeping confederate during an emotional situation. The co mmunication hypothesis or second factor was tested by manipulating the empathic meaning of weeping (and dissonance) through an essay conditi on. Subjects (N = 77 females) wrote an essay that supported (positive) vs. opposed (negative) weeping. Controls wrote a neutral essay. After presenting their essays to a female confederate,subjects were placed in an emotional situation that pulled for them to communicate support to the confederate. Regarding elicitation, weeping confederates elicit ed greater levels of subject weeping and empathic feelings than nonwee pers. Regarding communication, positive subjects wept longer and more intensely than negatives. Results supported the hypothesis that disson ance underlies weeping.