Wedialog.Net: A quantitative field test of the effects of online intergroup dialogue in promoting justice- versus harmony-oriented outcomes in Bosnia and Serbia.

Abstract

Online dialogue has tremendous potential to influence intergroup relations in conflict-ridden societies. Although prior research has identified intergroup harmony and justice as two distinct approaches to intergroup contact, little is known about whether online dialogue would foster a harmony-or justiceoriented discourse around conflict. To examine this question, the present study implemented a pre-post within-subjects design around a 4-week online dialogue intervention with Bosniaks and Serbs in the postconflict context of former Yugoslavia. Analyses of pre-post surveys suggest that the dialogue may have fostered a justice-oriented discourse among both Bosniaks and Serbs, who showed greater group identification and demands for justice after the dialogue compared to before the dialogue. There was also lower support for the goal of improving relationships and higher prioritization of discussions of justice after the dialogue. Exploring the linguistic content of the dialogue during the 4-week intervention further revealed that expressions of anger and anxiety decreased, whereas time orientations toward the present increased over time, suggesting that the justice-focused dialogue was not necessarily accompanied by explicit hostility over past atrocities. These findings help inform future interventions in postconflict societies, especially the use of online platforms to shape the discourse of conflict.Editor's Note. Continue the conversation by submitting your comments and questions about this article to PeacePsychology.org/peaceconflict. (The Editor of PeacePsychology.org reserves the right to exclude material that fails to contribute to constructive discussion.)This article was published Online First June 24, 2019. HEMA PREYA SELVANATHAN is a PhD candidate in social psychology with a concentration in the psychology of peace and violence at the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences in the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research focuses on intergroup relations and social change.BERNHARD LEIDNER holds a PhD in cognitive, social, and developmental psychology from The New School for Social Research in New York. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Psychology of Peace and Violence Program, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research focuses on the processes of social identification and intergroup relations primarily in the context of large social categories such as nations and ethnic groups.NEBOJŠA PETROVIC ´holds a PhD in social psychology from the University of Belgrade. He is currently a full-time professor at the Department of Psychology in the University of Belgrade. He is a social psychologist whose research focuses on reconciliation, applying psychology for resolving social issues, political values, and social representations of history.NEDIM PRELIC ´graduated from the University of Tuzla, Faculty of Philosophy at the Pedagogy-Psychology Department. He holds a Master's degree in psychology and is currently an Associate Teaching...

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