Allophilia

Allophilia -- positive attitudes for a group that is not one's own -- is a term derived from Greek words meaning "liking or love of the other" (Pittinsky, 2005). Studied by social scientists, allophilia is the antonym of prejudice and the antonym of a host of "isms": sexism, racism, homophobia, ageism, anti-Semitism, etc. Allophilia can be felt towards members of a different sex, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, class, nationality, school, team, workplace, etc.

Allophilia has five statistical factors: 1) engagement, 2) trust, 3) connection, 4) admiration, and 5) respect (Pittinsky & Rosenthal, 2006). The Allophilia Scale measures each of these factors.

The image below locates allophilia vis-à-vis its related constructs of prejudice and tolerance. The typical remedy for prejudice is to bring conflicting groups into a state of tolerance. However, tolerance is not the logical antithesis of prejudice, but rather is the midpoint between negative feelings and positive feelings toward others. The introduction of allophilia – positive intergroup attitudes – as an anchor, identifies a new domain for theory, research, and practice: allophilia enhancement.