Emotion Regulation and Attitudes Toward Conflict in Colombia: Effects of Reappraisal Training on Negative Emotions and Support for Conciliatory and Aggressive Statements

Abstract

Control of negative emotions (e.g., anger and fear) by political cues perpetuate intractable conflict by mobilizing public support for aggressive actions. Halperin et al. (2013) found that reappraisal – an adaptive form of emotion regulation – decreased negative emotions triggered by anger-inducing information related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and increased support for conciliatory statements. We tested these effects in the context of the conflict between the Colombian government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP). Reappraisal training reduced negative emotions produced by a presentation that illustrated FARC’s violent actions, and increased support for conciliatory statements (with overall moderate effect magnitudes). We also found that negative emotions mediated the effects of reappraisal on the support for aggressive and conciliatory statements. These findings indicate a high degree of generality of the phenomena, especially considering the differences between the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and the Colombian conflict. Our findings also show promise for replicating these effects on other types of intergroup conflicts and guiding effective public policy.

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In addition, evidence indicates that reappraisal interventions can influence emotional outcomes even in intensely challenging contexts in which people are often unmotivated to regulate their emotions 72 . For example, a brief reappraisal training conducted in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and replicated in the context of the Colombian conflict 73 , has been found to contribute to reduced intergroup anger and increased support for conciliatory political policies 74 .…”

The Political Consequences of Be(com)ing Mindful. How Mindfulness Might Affect Political Attitudes

“…As a follow-up study on the reaction of Israeli participants to the Palestinian's bid to the UN seeking full membership reveals: following a 30 minute reappraisal instruction, participants under treatment reported significantly lower levels of negative emotions toward Palestinians and were more supportive of conciliatory policies than control participants. This effect was replicated in the Colombian context where a reappraisal treatment was found to increase support of reconciliatory policies toward the FARC (Hurtado-Parrado et al, 2019). Halperin et al (2014) echo this finding, revealing that-mediated by a decrease in negative emotions and an increase in support for general democratic values-cognitive reappraisal reduces levels of political intolerance.…”

“…Mindfulness might engender a humanistic worldview that is antagonistic to authoritarianism stemming from both ends of the ideological continuum. Research on increases in political tolerance and support for reconciliatory policies (Halperin et al, 2014;Hurtado-Parrado et al, 2019) after mindfulness-based interventions points into this direction. Future research might want to explore these hypotheses empirically.…”

Emotional response to pictures of the armed conflict in Colombia.

“…For instance, political efforts to increase and gain control over negative emotions such as fear or anger seem to perpetuate continuation of conflicts by mobilizing public support for aggressive actions toward adversaries (e.g., oppose cease-fire and support increase of attacks—Gross, Halperin, & Porat, 2013; Halperin, 2014; Halperin, Porat, Tamir, & Gross, 2013; Staub, 2006). Conversely, efforts to encourage people to positively regulate their feelings of fear and anger triggered by conflict-related information (e.g., training individuals to reappraise their experience of pictures and texts of violent acts) increases their support for conciliatory actions (e.g., support termination of hostilities and political recognition—Halperin et al, 2013; Hurtado-Parrado et al, 2019).…”