David Myers11e

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Chapter ThirteenConflict and Peacemaking

What creates conflict?How can peace be achieved?Postscript: The conflict between individual and

communal rights

What social situations feed conflict?How do misperceptions fuel conflict?Does contact with the other side reduce conflict?When do cooperation, communication, and

mediation enable reconcillation

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What Creates Conflict?

Social DilemmasSocial trap

Situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing its self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior

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What Creates Conflict?

Social DilemmasThe “Prisoners Dilemma”

What would you do? confess to be granted immunity? Deny guilt? What role does communication / not being able to play

here?

“Tragedy of the Commons” Fishers, crabbers in the Chesapeake Bay Global warming / water in California

Fundamental attribution errorEvolving motives- Vietnam & Iraq warsNon-zero-sum games- e.g. Prisoners dilemma

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What Creates Conflict?Social Dilemmas

Resolving social dilemmas Regulation (Government)

Safeguard the common good Make the group small –visibility/ accountability

What’s the optimal size? Communication – Robyn Dawes’ experiment (1980)

30% vs. 80% Change the payoffs

Carpools –how does this change the payoffs? Appeal to altruistic norms (social norms)

Why did 1/3 cooperate in “Wall Street Game” vs. 2/3 in “Community Game”?

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What Creates Conflict?

Competition (group identification is a prerequisite)Realistic group conflict (Sherif, 1966)

Win-lose competition Negative images of the outgroup Strong ingroup cohesiveness Pride

What are some real life examples?Of superordinate goals that bring groups

together?

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What Creates Conflict?

Perceived InjusticePeople perceive justice as equity

Ratio of outcomes to inputs for self and other Distribution of rewards in proportion to individuals’

contributions If one contributes more and benefits less, he will feel

exploited

As equality? E.g. family distributions of resources

Does it depend upon equity or equality Other examples? Should it apply to poverty in America?

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What Creates Conflict?

MisperceptionOf other’s motives and goals

Iran and U.S. Israel and Palestinians

Seeds of misperception Self-serving bias Tendency to self-justify Fundamental attribution error

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What Creates Conflict?

Mirror-Image PerceptionsReciprocal views of each other often held by

parties in conflict Example

Each may view itself as moral and peace-loving and the other as evil and aggressive Iran, U.S. Russia, U.S. Baltimore Police, Black youth/community Others?

Evil leader–good people illusion

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What Creates Conflict?

Simplistic ThinkingWhen tension rises rational thinking becomes

more difficult Views of the enemy become more simplistic and

stereotyped

Shifting PerceptionsThe same processes that create the enemy’s

image can reverse it when the enemy becomes an ally

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How Can Peace Be Achieved? Contact…generally predicts tolerance

Predicts decreased prejudice Friendship

Those who form friendships with outgroup members develop more positive attitudes toward the outgroup Minimize outgroup identity How can this be done?

Equal-status contact Contact on an equal basis

To reduce prejudice, interracial contact should be between persons equal in status

Who have perceived choice in associating with one another Multiculturalism or Assimilation? Which is it?

Hutu & Tutsi? Or just Rwandan? Or Omnicultural?

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How Can Peace Be Achieved?

Cooperation Common external threats build cohesiveness

E.g. army in Vietnam Superordinate goals foster cooperation

Shared goal that necessitates cooperative effortCooperative learning improves racial attitudes

Aronson’s “jigsaw” techniqueGroup and superordinate identities

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How Can Peace Be Achieved?

CommunicationBargaining

Seeking an agreement to a conflict through direct negotiation between parties Tough bargaining may lower the other party’s

expectations, but can sometimes backfire Bush and Hussein

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How Can Peace Be Achieved?

CommunicationMediation

Attempt by a neutral third party to resolve a conflict by facilitating communication and offering suggestions Integrative agreements

Win-win agreements that reconcile both parties’ interests to their mutual benefit

Unravel misperceptions with controlled communications

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How Can Peace Be Achieved?

CommunicationArbitration

Resolution of a conflict by a neutral third party who studies both sides and imposes a settlement Final-offer arbitration

Motivates each party to make a reasonable proposal

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How Can Peace Be Achieved?

Conciliation GRIT (Osgood, ‘62)

Acronym for “graduated and reciprocated initiatives in tension reduction”—a strategy designed to de-escalate international tensions

Real world applications Berlin crisis in 60’s Kennedy and Khrushchev ‘63

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