Showing papers on "Realistic conflict theory published in 2005"

How the past weighs on the present : Social representations of history and their role in identity politics

Abstract: Socially shared representations of history have been important in creating, maintaining and changing a people's identity. Their management and negotiation are central to interethnic and international relations. We present a narrative framework to represent how collectively significant events become (selectively) incorporated in social representations that enable positioning of ethnic, national and supranational identities. This perspective creates diachronic (temporal) links between the functional (e.g. realistic conflict theory), social identity, and cognitive perspectives on intergroup relations. The charters embedded in these representations condition nations with similar interests to adopt different political stances in dealing with current events, and can influence the perceived stability and legitimacy of social orders. They are also instrumental in determining social identity strategies for reacting to negative social comparisons, and can influence the relationships between national and ethnic identities.

A Model of the Ingroup as a Social Resource

Abstract: Drawing on theories of social comparison, realistic group conflict, and social identity, we present an integrative model designed to describe the psychological utility of social groups We review diverse motivations that group membership may satisfy (eg, the need for acceptance or ideological consensus) and attempt to link these particular needs to a global concern for self-worth We then examine several factors hypothesized to influence an ingroup's utility in the eyes of its members Attempting to unite our understanding of (a) why groups are needed and (b) what kinds of groups are useful in meeting those needs, a proposed model of the ingroup as a social resource (MISR) suggests that the dimensions of perceived value, entitativity, and identification interact to determine the overall psychological utility of an ingroup We discuss empirical and theoretical support for this model, as well as its implications for intra- and intergroup attitudes

Community Matters: Realistic Group Conflict Theory and the Impact of Diversity

Abstract: We conducted two studies that bring communities into the study of organizational demographics Reasoning from a realistic group conflict theory base, we predicted (1) negative white reactions to racial and ethnic diversity in organizations and (2) moderation of this relationship by whites' diversity experiences in their communities Data from the National Organizations Study and an experiment supported our hypotheses The closer whites lived to blacks (Study 1) and the more interethnic conflict the former perceived in their communities (Study 2), the more negatively they responded to diverse workplaces Our discussion focuses on understanding organizations as reflections of their environments

Putting Stereotype Content in Context: Image Theory and Interethnic Stereotypes:

Abstract: Two studies apply intergroup image theory to better understand divergent interethnic images and to highlight the important role of intergroup context and perceived intergroup relations in shaping the content of social stereotypes. Image theory hypothesizes that specific interethnic stereotypes arise from specific patterns of perceived intergroup competition, relative power, and relative cultural status. Results from surveying Black, White, and Native Americans' appraisals of intergroup relations and reported outgroup stereotypes in various intergroup contexts suggest that the content of outgroup stereotypes varies systematically as a function of the perceived state of intergroup relations and the intergroup context in which these groups are situated. The data reported from both studies establish the importance of examining social stereotypes from a functional perspective in the context of intergroup relations.

Conflict, Conflict Prevention and Conflict Management and Beyond : a conceptual exploration

Abstract: Conflict, Conflict Prevention and Conflict Management and Beyond : a conceptual exploration

Intergroup conflict and intergroup effectiveness in organizations: Theory and scale development

Abstract: Many see the absence of conflict between groups as indicative of effective intergroup relations. Others consider its management a suitable effectiveness criterion. In this article we demarcate a different approach and propose that these views are deficient in describing effective intergroup relations. The article theorizes alternative criteria of intergroup effectiveness rooted in team representatives' subjective value judgements and assesses the psychometric characteristics of a short measure based on these criteria. Results on empirical validity suggest the measure to be a potential alternative outcome of organizational conflict. Implications for both the study of intergroup relations and conflict theory are discussed.

Meta-stereotypes may hinder inter-racial contact

Abstract: Avoidance of intergroup contact occurs not only as a result of prejudice, but also for a myriad of other reasons. Intergroup anxiety has been hypothesised as one central explanatory factor for info...

Conflict, Contact and Education in Northern Ireland

Abstract: This article outlines educational responses to the conflict in Northern Ireland designed to promote intergroup harmony. Current research about the impact of these programs on children and young people is also reviewed to draw conclusions for practitioners in formal and informal educational settings who want to use intergroup contact to implement education for peace in the most effective way. The contact hypothesis has provided the theoretical framework for the majority of educational initiatives in Northern Ireland designed to promote peace, and it is used here to evaluate empirical evidence regarding the impact of such initiatives. In the main this evidence supports the importance of the key conditions for successful outgroup contact as originally proposed by the contact hypothesis. In addition, intergroup anxiety is identified as a factor mediating successful outgroup contact and attention is drawn to the potentially significant role of outgroup contact that is not experienced first hand, but indirectly...

Resource concerns for territorial conflict

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to engage constructively with literature on armed conflict and resources in order to draw attention both to assumptions that hinder a more accurate or useful understanding of natural resources and their role in territorial conflict as well as to aspects of this field of research that merit further work. In much of the literature on resource conflict, territorial aspects are either implicitly or explicitly tied to resource conflict largely through the assumption that the value of territory is intrinsic. Little of the literature attempts to advance theory, specifically, either on the particular role of resources or on the meaning and objectives of conflict beyond a one-dimensional objective of maintaining or securing control of territory. The paper considers themes of resource scarcity and resource abundance in conflict. A third section focuses on an analysis both of natural resource databases and of conflict databases (both international and civil) which emphasizes problematic results of blending these databases to demonstrate correlations.

Allophilia and Intergroup Leadership

Abstract: One of the most pressing concerns confronting leaders is intergroup conflict, often inspired or facilitated by prejudice. Not only might leaders inherit conflicts between political, religious, or organizational groups, but they may unwittingly contribute to them. Foundations of strong intragroup leadership, such as fostering strong group identification and cohesion, are often stepping stones to intergroup conflict. I refer to this as the "ingroup/outgroup leadership tradeoff." While the reduction of prejudice is essential to the reduction of intergroup conflict, I argue that the necessary approach is not to replace prejudice with the neutral stance of tolerance. Something critical lies beyond the reduction of prejudice and the promotion of tolerance: positive intergroup attitudes, allophilia. While the academic and applied literature on intergroup relations is well supplied with terms for negative intergroup attitudes (e.g., xenophobia, sexism, racism, anti-Americanism, classism, ageism, homophobia), there are surprisingly few terms for positive intergroup attitudes. Allophilia is a term I coin, derived from the Greek words meaning "liking, or love, of the other." The concept of allophilia provides a powerful anchor for a new framework for understanding intergroup leadership. To initiate the development of a framework of allophilia and leadership, I address three interrelated questions in this article: (1) What is allophilia in the context of intergroup relations?; (2) What role does - and might - allophilia play in intergroup leadership?; and (3) What are the keys to further developing allophilia as a framework for intergroup leadership theory and practice? The framework prompts leaders to push their societies and the world community away from the natural direction in which individuals and social system might otherwise unfold, leading them instead on a trajectory of positive intergroup relations.

Conflict in relational treatments.

Abstract: Various features of relational perspectives on conflict are outlined. Points of contact and difference between relational and modern conflict theory are discussed. Five approaches to considering conflict are examined: countertransference conflict as the site of interfaces between the social and the intrapsychic; conflict within the register of speech; conflict within a theory of multiple identifications; conflict as the site of psychic change; and conflict in the context of intersubjectivity. Clinical vignettes are introduced to illustrate the scope and function of conflict within one relational perspective.

Conflict and Control

Abstract: Conflict is a kind of relation state, which has a direct bearing on a country's stability and development. The source and fundamental reason make up of the objective possibility of the occurrence of conflict. However, only when the objective reasons are mature can the subjective elements, which are the subject of preparing and carrying out the conflict, eventually lead to conflict. As the unreconcile product of social contradiction, the country has to make some efforts to keep the conflict from destroying the social order, so as to safeguard the country's existence and development.

Approaches to conflict resolution

Abstract: The potential for conflict is almost limitless, and it is impossible to prepare a recipe for resolution that will fit every occasion. Conflict may be on any scale from an individual to entire states; and no one can be an expert on all forms of conflict resolution. The most that can be asked is that aid workers have an awareness of the issues and can, if required, make some positive contribution to resolution. Conflict may start in the mind of one person and spill over to affect the local community. By focusing on that person, an aid worker may be able to defuse the conflict. On this scale, the skills required are those associated with guidance and counselling. Both sides in any negotiation need to have Thus the aid worker must have a thorough knowledge of the problem, a positive relationship with the person involved, and confidence that a solution can be found. Such confidence is only likely to come from prior thought and planning. The aid worker should then be able to rely on counselling skills during subsequent discussions. View this table: Basic principles of conflict resolution However, conflicts are more likely to concern groups than clearly identifiable individuals (though individuals are normally members of a group, so personal conflict can be seen as the simplest stage of group conflict). Group conflict can occur as intra-group conflict (when members of a group conflict with one another) or inter-group conflict (when there is a conflict between separate groups). Definitions depend on the viewpoint of the observer; for an aid worker, the main distinction must be practical and concern effectiveness. Can …

Does Inequality lead to Conflict

Abstract: This paper presents a simple model to show how distributional concerns can engender social conflict. We have a two period model, where the cost of conflict is endogenous in the sense that parties involved have full control over how much conflict they can create. We find that anticipated future inequality plays a crucial role in determining the level of conflict in the current period. The model also provides an explanation for why similar levels of inequality may exhibit drastically different levels of conflict. Further, we argue that the link between inequality and conflict may be non-monotonic.

Stereotypes and Prejudice in Conflict: The Context: The Arab-Israeli Intractable Conflict

Abstract: As the previous chapters suggested, in order to understand why particular psychological intergroup repertoires evolve, it is necessary to unveil the macrocontext of a particular society. Macrocontext is formed by the social, political, economic, and cultural characteristics and conditions of a specific society. They include collective memory, ethos, values, societal beliefs, norms, economic conditions, political system, economic conditions, societal structure, intragroup relations, and intergroup relations – in sum, all the macrofactors that can have a bearing on how beliefs, attitudes, and emotions toward other groups develop in particular time, space, and conditions. Some of these contextual factors, such as intergroup relations, societal structure, and economic conditions, provide the basis for experiences that foster the development of particular stereotypes, attitudes, or emotions toward specific outgroups. Other contextual factors of a more societal or cultural nature such as norms, values, collective memory, and societal beliefs (e.g., ethnocentric beliefs) constitute the sociocognitive emotional basis from which particular contents (i.e., ideas) may be drawn and/or which can support or discourage the evolvement of a particular repertoire. The sociocultural context is of special importance because it contains the building blocks with which a group constructs the content of its stereotypes and the rationale for this content.

Distinguishing Between Expressed and Experienced Conflict in Groups

Abstract: The freedom to express differences in a group without sanction from others is essential for group learning. Such differences typically manifest during group interactions as expressed conflict, which stimulates debate and idea generation that enhance group performance on complex tasks. However, high levels of expressed conflict can hinder group effectiveness because members' information processing capabilities are overwhelmed by their experience of conflict. Many individuals experience negative emotions as a result of personalizing expressed conflict. These negative emotions may be particularly pronounced in groups where expressed conflict is based on relationship, as well as, task and process issues. The literature on conflict in groups has not given much attention to the distinction between expressed and experienced conflict. Rather, scholars have focused on exploring the distinctions between and the effects of task, process, and relationship conflict in groups, with an exclusive emphasis on measuring these types of conflict. We believe an investigation of the distinction between expressed and experienced conflict, as well as the nuances in how individuals respond to them, is needed to enhance our collective understanding of conflict in groups. Therefore, we will present a set of theoretical propositions and qualitative interview data to further explore this topic.

Stereotypes and Prejudice in Conflict: The Psychological Basis of Intergroup Relations

Abstract: INTERGROUP BEHAVIOR The study of the psychological basis of intergroup relations is one of the major endeavors in social psychology (see, e.g., Brewer & Brown, 1998; Brown & Gaertner, 2001; Sedikides et al., 1998; Stephan & Stephan, 1996a). This interest is not surprising in view of the fact that most social life takes place within groups. Individuals are born into a group or organize themselves into groups, and as a result most of their behavior is performed within a group framework. Also, as a consequence of being part of a group, people develop their social identity as group members, and much of their thinking, feeling, and acting is carried out in the framework of knowledge about this identity. Because group membership, as reflected in a person's social identity, is one of the most salient and important human characteristics, individuals not only consider themselves as group members but also perceive and treat others according to their group membership. The categorization of self as a group member and others in terms of group membership is a pervasive and central human cognitive process that enables the organization of the complex social world into a meaningful structure (Tajfel, 1969, 1981b). In this process, individuals aggregate people who share particular properties into one category and view them as a separate entity. There are numerous ways to classify people into social categories because humans have many different characteristics.

Stereotypes and Prejudice in Conflict: The Development of Shared Psychological Intergroup Repertoire in a Conflict: Theory and Methods

Abstract: The variety of studies presented in Chapter 7 and the consistent findings obtained in them demonstrate that the representation of Arabs in the Jewish Israeli society attracted the interest of many researchers. However, most of the studies concentrated on the content of stereotypes, attitudes, and behavioral intentions expressed by adolescents or adults. The results of these studies, as well as the examination of the representation of Arabs in political discourse, media, literature, art, and school books (see Chapters 4–6), indicate that the negative representation of Arabs has a long-standing history, is deeply embedded, and is widely spread in the Israeli culture, reflecting the conflict between the two nations. In view of these findings, a question as to how this shared psychological intergroup repertoire about Arabs evolves is inevitable. In order to answer this question, we conducted a decade-long, systematic, and comprehensive research project that aimed to shed light on the acquisition and development of the mental representations of the parties engulfed in the active and violent conflict, that is, the self-reference group (Jews, Israelis) and that of the rival group (Arabs). Specifically, some of the studies carried out in our laboratory aimed to describe or, as termed by Hirschfeld (1996), to document empirically the process of acquisition and development of the multifaceted mental representations of Jews and Arabs held by Jewish children, adolescents, and young adults in Israel. Other studies were theory-based, aiming to examine specific developmental predictions.

Conflict Management and the Prospective Principal

Abstract: Aspiring principals were surveyed about their perceptions and training in regard to conflict management. Subjects reported positive attitudes about conflict and were confident in their conflict management skills when dealing with students. Subjects were less confident in their conflict management skills when dealing with parents and supervisors. Conflict management training consisting of authentic, school-based activities should be intensified in principal preparation programs. Introduction School leaders encounter conflict on a frequent basis (Martin and Willower, 1981). They are also the primary builders of consensus and collaboration on their campuses (Leithwood, Begley, and Cousins, 1992).Teachers under their supervision encounter conflict in their efforts to educate children (Cornille, Pestle, and Vanwy, 1999). While conflict can be negative and destructive, it can also result in positive changes within an organization (Putnam, 1997). Researchers have identified the knowledge base and skills necessary for the development of successful school leaders. Conflict management is among those skills (Wilmore, 2003). However, few public school leaders have had the support and training necessary to engage in constructive conflict management, further limiting opportunities to teach and model conflict management skills to others (Coleman and Fisher-Yoshida, 2004). This study focused specifically upon the following questions about conflict management skills in future campus administrators: 1. What are the main sources of conflict management training for prospective school leaders? 2. Within which conflict management contexts do prospective school leaders need additional training? 3. What perceptions do prospective school leaders have about the frequency of conflict they will encounter relative to the following sources: students, parents, teachers, and supervisors (superintendent, assistant/associate superintendents, director, and executive directors). Theoretical Perspective Several researchers have contributed to the study of conflict management in organizations. Thomas (1976) suggested that five distinct styles of conflict management exist within organizations, including collaboration, accommodation, competition, compromise, and avoidance. Katz and Lawyer (1993) submitted that effective approaches to conflict include reflective listening, maintenance of civility, separation of positions from interests, and the delineation of group goals along with consideration of the interests of all who have a stake in the problem. Deutsch (1994) maintained that unfavorable social contexts required conflict managers to be skillful at removing themselves from the context in order to observe and make conscious decisions. Deutsch and Coleman (2000) developed large-group conflict management methods designed for three major purposes: creating the future, approaching work, and addressing specific problems. Welch (2001) developed the O.F.T.E.N. strategy for conflict management, consisting of observation, feelings, thinking, expectations, and negotiation. The need for effective conflict management training methods was addressed by Horowitz and Boardman (1994) who recommended formative and summative evaluation of programs to determine the best methods. Bartsch and Cheurprakobkit (2002) determined that principals in their study considered conflict resolution training to be a staff development priority. Cornille, Pestle, and Vanwy (1999) recommended continuing education for teachers, emphasizing the most effective styles of conflict management for different situations. Deutsch (1994) suggested that effective conflict management training must emphasize social and cognitive skills. However, Deutsch maintained that training which focuses upon social and cognitive skills is difficult because of the lack of realistic feedback and because these skills cannot be developed through independent practice (Deutsch, 1994). …