Sociopsychological Foundations of Intractable Conflicts

Abstract

The article presents a conceptual framework that concerns the sociopsychological foundation and dynamics of intractable conflict. First, it defines and characterizes the nature of intractable conflict, and then it describes how societies involved in this reality adapt to the conditions of intractable conflict. This adaptation meets three fundamental challenges: satisfying the needs of the society members, coping with stress, and withstanding the rival. In trying to confront them successfully, societies develop appropriate sociopsychological infrastructure, which includes collective memory, ethos of conflict, and collective emotional orientations. This infrastructure fulfills important individual and collective level functions, including the important role of formation, maintenance, and strengthening of a social identity that reflects this conflict. Special attempts are made to disseminate this infrastructure via societal channels of communication and institutionalize it. The evolved sociopsychological infrastructure becomes a prism through which society members construe their reality, collect new information, interpret their experiences, and make decisions about their course of action. This infrastructure becomes hegemonic, rigid, and resistant to change as long as the intractable conflict continues. It ends up serving as a major factor fueling the continuation of the conflict, thus becoming part of a vicious cycle of intractable conflict.

Reinterpretation of Regime Analysis in International Relations

“…While a result, he evolves the meaning of enforced regimes to mean those regimes that are "agreed within constraints that are mandated by powerful actors. Any agreement which will result from negotiating will be afflicted by {the ability} costs and alternatives faced by the various actors: that is, by which party has the greater need for arrangement with the other" (Bar-tal, 2007). Thus, actor choice is constrained because the preferences of the greater powerful will have greater weight.…”

Hacia una memoria incluyente para la paz en el País Vasco

“…Desde una perspectiva netamente psicosocial, Bar-Tal (2007) indica que en situaciones de confl icto etnonacional, la memoria colectiva está vinculada a una serie de procesos psicosociales y se estructura en base a temas concretos. En cuanto a los temas, enfatiza las explicaciones y justifi caciones del papel propio y ajeno en el origen y escalada del confl icto, sobre todo haciendo referencia a momentos con elevada carga emocional y simbólica.…”

“…De manera general, se enfatiza la necesidad de establecer una defi nición común de víctima donde tengan cabida todas las personas que han sufrido vulneraciones de derechos humanos, partiendo de la que establece la normativa internacional. La defi nición de víctima ha sido parte de la lucha política vinculada al confl icto y la paz en el País Vasco; esto se ha visto refl ejado en los discursos defensivos donde se muestra, por un lado, una falta de reconocimiento a víctimas cuyo victimario es de la propia familia política, y por otro, la creencia de ser las únicas víctimas del confl icto, procesos psicosociales implicados en confl ictos profundos (Bar-Tal, 2007). Según los artículos 8 y 9 de la Resolución 60/147 de 2005, de la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas.…”

One Big Happy Family Perceptions of Inter-Group Relations between Jewish and Arab Nursing Students within and Outside a Natural Joint Environment

“…An ongoing conflict is one that is absolute and all encompassing. It pervades the social fabric of the sides involved and forces itself on individuals and institutions alike (Bar-Tal, 2007;Rouhana & Bar-Tal, 1998).…”