Intragroup Subgroup Clustering, International Intervention, and Intergroup Interaction Patterning: Toward a Dynamical Model of Protracted Intergroup Conflict

Intragroup Subgroup Attitude Clustering, External Intervention, and Intergroup Interaction Patterns: Toward a Dynamical Model of Protracted Intergroup Conflict

Peace and Conflict Studies ◽

10.46743/1082-7307/2005.1057 ◽

2005 ◽

Author(s):

Peter Coleman ◽

Adam Schneider ◽

Douglass Adams ◽

Catherine Everett ◽

Timothy Gameros ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Complex Dynamics ◽

Dynamical Model ◽

Intergroup Conflict ◽

Interaction Patterns ◽

International Intervention ◽

Complex Interactions ◽

Traditional Research ◽

Multiple Variables ◽

Using Data ◽

Over Time

Scholars and practitioners working with protracted conflicts in polarized communities have long recognized the complex dynamics between intragroup disputes and intergroup relations in these settings. In fact, the multitude of factors interacting within and between groups in these conflicts, and their tendency to change over time, largely contributes to their intractable natures. Unfortunately, the ability of scholars to conduct research on such dynamic phenomena has been largely constrained by the atomistic, linear approach of traditional research models and methods. However, recent advances in dynamical systems theory have provided a new set of tools for developing computer simulations that allow us to model the dynamic patterns emerging from complex interactions of multiple variables over time. This paper presents one such model: a dynamical model of protracted intergroup conflict. Using data collected from Israeli and Palestinian communities during the current Intifada, we modeled the dynamic relations between conflict escalation and international intervention on intragroup subgroup attitude clustering and patterns of intergroup interactions. Next steps and refinements for the model are discussed.

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Positive imagined contact is actively chosen: Exploring determinants and consequences of volitional intergroup imagery in a conflict-ridden setting

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations ◽

10.1177/1368430217747405 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 511-529 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Shenel Husnu ◽

Stefania Paolini

Keyword(s):

Past Research ◽

Intergroup Conflict ◽

Group Level ◽

Intergroup Interaction ◽

Imagined Contact

Past research has ascertained the benefits of involuntary, “forced” exposure to positive imagined contact. This research explored determinants and consequences of actively chosen imagined contact in a setting of entrenched intergroup conflict. In Study 1, when given an unvalenced visualisation scenario enabling participants to steer the visualisation in any direction they wanted, Turkish Cypriots visualised an intergroup interaction nondistinguishable in quality to that of those assigned to a positive scenario. In Study 2, when asked to actively choose between visualising a positive or a negative intergroup interaction, Turkish Cypriots disproportionally preferred positive over negative contact. The chosen visualisation reflected mood and valenced confirmation biases and resulted in virtuous (vs. vicious) effects on group-level outcomes. These findings shed a first light on the psychological underpinnings of volitional intergroup imagery and indicate that intergroup imagery is a safe way of engaging with the outgroup even in contexts of entrenched conflict.

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Reasons to strike first

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x19000840 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 ◽

Author(s):

William Buckner ◽

Luke Glowacki

Keyword(s):

Intergroup Conflict ◽

Small Scale

Abstract De Dreu and Gross predict that attackers will have more difficulty winning conflicts than defenders. As their analysis is presumed to capture the dynamics of decentralized conflict, we consider how their framework compares with ethnographic evidence from small-scale societies, as well as chimpanzee patterns of intergroup conflict. In these contexts, attackers have significantly more success in conflict than predicted by De Dreu and Gross's model. We discuss the possible reasons for this disparity.

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Using the research on intergroup conflict in nonhuman animals to help inform patterns of human intergroup conflict

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x19000827 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 ◽

Author(s):

Amanda R. Ridley ◽

Melanie O. Mirville

Keyword(s):

Large Body ◽

Nonhuman Animal ◽

Intergroup Conflict ◽

Costs And Benefits ◽

Animal Groups ◽

Interesting Article ◽

Nonhuman Animals

Abstract There is a large body of research on conflict in nonhuman animal groups that measures the costs and benefits of intergroup conflict, and we suggest that much of this evidence is missing from De Dreu and Gross's interesting article. It is a shame this work has been missed, because it provides evidence for interesting ideas put forward in the article.

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