Development of Delegitimization and Animosity in the Context of Intractable Conflict

Bar‐Tal, Daniel; Avrahamzon, Talia; Sibley, Chris G.; Barlow, Fiona Kate

doi:10.1017/9781316161579.026

Cited by 44 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…Social psychologists have highlighted processes through which children socialized into a culture of prejudice resist, sometimes unconsciously, challenges to deeply ingrained stereotypes and are unlikely to update negative beliefs without considerable effort and motivation (Devine et al 2002; Devine 1989; Fiske 1989). Longstanding intergroup conflict further complicates this process, as exposure to violence and socialization by family members and community-level institutions sustain animosity toward the out-group as part of an ever-present socio-psychological “repertoire” of conflict-related fears and grievances (Bar-Tal and Avrahamzon 2016).…”

Section: Social Contact Prejudice and Discriminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Social Contact Reduce Prejudice and Discrimination? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Nigeria

2018

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Can positive social contact between members of antagonistic groups reduce prejudice and discrimination? Despite extensive research on social contact, observational studies are difficult to interpret because prejudiced people may select out of contact with out-group members. We overcome this problem by conducting an education-based, randomized field experiment—the Urban Youth Vocational Training program (UYVT)—with 849 randomly sampled Christian and Muslim young men in riot-prone Kaduna, Nigeria. After sixteen weeks of positive intergroup social contact, we find no changes in prejudice, but heterogeneous-class subjects discriminate significantly less against out-group members than subjects in homogeneous classes. We trace this finding to increased discrimination by homogeneous-class subjects compared to non-UYVT study participants, and we highlight potentially negative consequences of in-group social contact. By focusing on skill-building instead of peace messaging, our intervention minimizes reporting bias and offers strong experimental evidence that intergroup social contact can alter behavior in constructive ways, even amid violent conflict.

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Section: Social Contact Prejudice and Discriminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Social Contact Reduce Prejudice and Discrimination? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Nigeria

2018

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“…Once established, SPIR exerts its influence on each of the factors involved in their development, and on the information children process. The result is that prejudice against the rival out-group is acquired very early (at around 2-3 years of age), no reduction in prejudice takes place during middle childhood (7-9 years), and during early adolescence (beginning at around 12 years), identity concerns and their motivational correlates may lead to a further increase in hostility toward the out-group (see also Bar-Tal & Avrahamzon, in press). This trend is different from those recorded in previous research regarding acquisition of intergroup attitudes (Aboud, 1988; Nesdale, Durkin, Maass, & Griffiths, 2005; and see the above review), suggesting that in societies characterized by intractable conflict, intergroup attitudes develop in a different way from the way in which they develop in peaceful societies.…”

Section: Social-cognitive Theories For Development Of Intergroup Attimentioning

confidence: 99%

Young Children in Intractable Conflicts

Nasie

Diamond

Bar‐Tal

2016

Pers Soc Psychol Rev

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The article examines the political socialization of young Jewish-Israeli children who live under the Israeli-Palestinian intractable conflict. It proposes arguments and presents empirical evidence to suggest that the way in which political socialization of young children happens in this context contributes to the development of conflict-supporting narratives of ethos of conflict and collective memory by the youngest generation. As a result, the conflict solidifies adherence to these narratives in adulthood, thereby serving as a major obstacle to the processes of peace-making and peace-building. Specifically, as evidence for showing how the political socialization works in Israel, a series of studies conducted in Israeli kindergartens and elementary schools are presented. These studies recount the contents acquired by young children, as well as contents delivered by teachers, related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This indicates the serious consequences of acquiring conflict-supporting narratives at an early age in societies involved in intractable conflict.

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“…Finally, the experience of threat directly impacts children's wellbeing and psychological distress, leading indirectly to further intergroup animosity (Bar‐Tal & Avrahamzon, 2017). The context of conflict tragically exposes even young children to personal and collective experiences with the conflict.…”

Section: The Impact Of Conflict On Normative Intergroup Cognitive Dev...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethno‐political socialization of young children in societies involved in intractable conflict: The case of Israel

Nasie

Tagar

Bar‐Tal

2021

Journal of Social Issues

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This paper presents an analysis of the ethno-political socialization of young children in the context of intractable conflict, drawing on the case of Israeli society. The analysis is based on the integrative developmental-contextual theory (IDCT), which proposes that in the context of intractable conflict, from a very early age onward, in-group members acquire a socio-psychological repertoire that consists of narratives, beliefs, attitudes, and emotions related to the conflict and to the rival group. IDCT highlights three central components that dictate the nature of this socio-psychological repertoire: children's normative developmental trajectory, the context in which the development takes place, and the ethno-political socialization that is performed by societal agents. We discuss the interaction between these components in socializing children's sociopsychological repertoire, and ways to change the course of socialization in the context of intractable conflict towards peace-oriented socialization.

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Development of Delegitimization and Animosity in the Context of Intractable Conflict

Cited by 44 publications

References 86 publications

Can Social Contact Reduce Prejudice and Discrimination? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Nigeria

Can Social Contact Reduce Prejudice and Discrimination? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Nigeria

Young Children in Intractable Conflicts

Ethno‐political socialization of young children in societies involved in intractable conflict: The case of Israel

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