Intergroup emotional similarity reduces dehumanization and promotes conciliatory attitudes in prolonged conflict
Abstract
Creating a sense of interpersonal similarity of attitudes and values is associated with increased attraction and liking. Applying these findings in an intergroup setting, though, has yielded mixed support. Theorizing from a social identity perspective suggests that highlighting intergroup similarity may lead to increased antipathy to the extent that it is perceived as a threat to one’s unique social identity. To circumvent this process, we examine the influence of emotional similarity, rather than attitudinal or value similarity, with the expectation that the short-term nature of emotions may evoke less threat to one’s social identity. Moreover, given the importance of emotions in intergroup humanization processes, we expected that emotional similarity would be associated with greater conciliatory attitudes due to an increase in humanization of the outgroup. We report results from two studies supporting these predictions. Following exposure to an anger-eliciting news story, Jewish Israeli participants were given information that their own emotional reaction to the story was similar (or not) to an individual member of the outgroup (Study 1: Palestinian citizen of Israel) or the outgroup as a whole (Study 2: Palestinians of the West Bank). As predicted, emotional similarity was associated with increased humanization of the outgroup, and a subsequent increase in one’s willingness to support conciliatory political policies toward the outgroup. We conclude that emotional similarity may be a productive avenue for future intergroup interventions, particularly between groups where differences in attitudes and values are foundational to the intergroup conflict.
... Research inspired by SIT shows that perceived intergroup similarity can have somewhat paradoxical, or ambivalent effects. On the one hand, it elicits more positive affect towards the out-group, indicating greater liking or attraction (see also Chen & Kenrick, 2002), supposedly because perceived or expected differences in the groups' norms and features are the source of mutual dislike (Brown & Abrams, 1986;Byrne et al., 1971;Elad-Strenger et al., 2019;Grant, 1993;McDonald et al., 2017;Schori-Eyal et al., 2019;Stephan, 2013). On the other hand, intergroup similarity on identity-relevant dimensions represents a threat to the in-group's positive distinctiveness (Hornsey & Hogg, 2000;Malovicki Yaffe et al., 2018;Spears et al., 1997), which in turn increases in-group favouring biases which are aimed at re-establishing intergroup differentiation (e.g. Brown & Abrams, 1986;Jetten et al., 2004;Roccas & Schwartz, 1993). ...
What shapes our emotional responses to socio-political events? Following the social identity approach, we suggest that individuals adjust their emotional responses to socio-political stimuli based on their ideological out-group's responses , in a manner that preserves the comparative and normative fit of ideological in-group-out-group categories. In Study 1 and Study 2 (pre-registered), Jewish-Israeli leftists and rightists were exposed to their ideological out-group's alleged emotional response to a stimulus associated with Israeli-Palestinian relations, which was either stereotypical (leftists expressing low anger and rightists expressing high anger) or non-stereotypical (leftists expressing high anger and rightists expressing low anger). Across studies, participants reported more positive affect towards their ideological out-group when its response to the stimulus was non-stere-otypical versus stereotypical, yet their own response to the stimulus became more "extreme" (towards the low end of the anger scale for leftists, and towards the high end of the anger scale for rightists), shifting farther away from their ideological out-group norm. Our findings suggest that in highly polarized contexts, where "leftist" and "rightist" identities are largely defined in comparison to one another, the "positioning" of ideological groups relative to one another plays a role in shaping their responses to their shared socio-political reality. K E Y W O R D S group-based emotions, intergroup relations, political ideology, self-categorization theory, social identity theory This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
... For example, Grant (1993) showed that similarities in opinions about the importance of a subject improved the attitudes of Canadian students towards the opposite sex group. McDonald et al. (2017) manipulated similar or different feelings of Jews and Arabs by letting Jewish participants read an angry text and then telling participants that Arab participants responded with similar or different feelings as their own. The similarity in feelings increased the humanisation of the outgroup and, consequently, also the support for a conciliatory political policy towards the outgroup. ...
The role of educators includes promoting cultural competence
and cultural sensitivity in order to create an inclusive school
climate, and for this role, they need multicultural knowledge
and skills. This article presents theory-based and evidence-based
principles, adopted from social psychology, to reduce
intergroup biases and to improve intergroup attitudes. These
principles are proposed here for use in intercultural educational
intervention programmes with the aim of promoting cultural
competence and cultural sensitivity in schools. Awareness of
these principles and their implementation in educational programmes
can contribute to acquaintance with the ‘other’, heterogeneous
perception of groups, identifying similarities
between cultures, addressing stereotypes, reducing intergroup
biases, and enhancing intergroup attraction. All of these have
the capability to contribute to an optimal and inclusive educational
climate in schools and in society.
... One possible explanation for the variation between the effect of the message on different audiences could be inferred by the interpretation to the risk taken by the story's main figure. Past studies conducted in the context of a violent protracted conflict revealed that a message by outgroup members deviating from their group norms towards peace, especially when such deviation was perceived as risky, created increased trust, openness towards the outgroup and hope for improved relations with them(McDonald et al., 2017;Saguy & Halperin, 2014). Our second study suggested that the main figure in the story, who is presented as a simple outgroup member took specific risks when deviating from his group norms towards peace. ...
Deep distrust of the rival is widely shared among members of society involved in intractable conflicts, and constitutes a major barrier for peace-building. In the current research we examine an intervention aimed at legitimizing the other side as a partner to peace that can be trusted through providing information about a peaceful change among a member of the rival group. Study 1 (N = 253) revealed that providing Jewish-Israelis with such information about a Palestinian increases unfreezing, trust of the rival group, and support for peace-building compared to the control condition. Moreover, we found that unfreezing followed by trust mediated the effect of the intervention on increased support for peace-building. Comparing the effects of four variations of the change story, we found in Study 2 (N = 801) that the story of a Palestinian who had to deal with adversity within his own group created more trust and hope among rightist participants, while the story of a Palestinian coming from the family that believes in peace created heightened trust and hope for center-left participants. We offer insights into ideological-based differences of persuasive messages relating to peace-building.
Children’s perceptions of similarity and dissimilarity between in- and out-groups and their associations with intergroup attitudes were examined. Using mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, 5- and 8-year-old Jewish-Israeli children (N = 100, 48 % girls) were investigated. They were asked about Arabs (which are considered a conflict out-group). Specifically, they were asked
whether a Jewish girl/boy and an Arab girl/boy are similar or dissimilar and in what way. They were also asked about their attitudes towards Arabs. In general, children reported more intergroup dissimilarities than similarities between Jews and Arabs. Children’s perceptions revealed that they considered three types of properties as fundamental for intergroup (dis)similarity:
appearance, psychological characteristics, and social identity. The results indicate that children form intergroup dissimilarity perceptions at an early age, but only at about 8 years of age do these perceptions become associated with negative attitudes towards the out-group. These findings highlight the importance of promoting early awareness of similarities between groups to mitigate the development of negative attitudes as children grow older.
A mű a technicizált dehumanizáció aktuális állapotát tekinti át, amelynek az a sajátossága, hogy jogi, üzleti, technológiai és ideológiai irányból is megtámogatott érdekek és szabadságok maradéktalan megvalósítása érdekében egy bizonyos, önmagáért kiállni képtelen embercsoport emberi mivoltának szélsőséges megtagadása, elvetése, valami mással való felváltása történik meg. A mű lényegében ezt a cseretranzakciót szemlélteti az abortusz, az eutanázia, az emberkereskedelem, a béranyaság, az autonóm fegyverrendszerek, a szoftverszemély és az egyéb nem humán entitások személlyé nyilvánítása területén. A példák sora nem lezárt, ugyanakkor ma már kellő empirikus ismeretanyag áll rendelkezésre annak az állításnak az alátámasztására, hogy ezek nem elszigetelt jelenségek, hanem egy olyan jelenségegyüttes, amelynek egyes elemeit az köti össze, hogy az emberi minőség megtartása már középtávon is lényegesen nagyobb egyéni és közösségi erőforrásokat fog igénybe venni, mint ahogyan a társadalom túlnyomó része ezt ma véli.
Partisan animosity has been growing in the United States and around the world over the past few decades, fueling efforts by researchers and practitioners to help heal the divide. Many studies have been conducted to test interventions that aim to promote open-mindedness; however, these studies have been conducted in disparate literatures that do not always use the same terminology. In this review, we integrate research on open-mindedness in order to facilitate cross-talk and collaboration between disciplines. We review various concepts related to open-mindedness and then offer a conceptual model to help guide the further development of interventions and research to understand open-mindedness. We propose that open-mindedness is multifaceted and dynamic, such that interventions should focus on targeting multiple psychological pathways in order to maximize and sustain their effects. Specifically, we propose that interventions that target cognitive and/or motivational pathways can induce open-mindedness initially. Then, training in emotion regulation and/or social skills can help to sustain and build on open-mindedness once individuals enter into a situation where their beliefs are challenged. We conclude with a discussion of potential future directions for research on open-mindedness interventions.
Religious congregations are community hubs of welfare and health services. They are known mostly for their spiritual and faith-based activities while being the largest providers of social care with the exception of social welfare services. Their leaders, the clergy, do not work alone. Members that work alongside clergy are essential for the congregation's functioning but are under-researched, which limits our understanding of the inner workings of local religious congregations. In this exploratory study, we surveyed clergy to assess the characteristics possessed by their most trusted congregants—the valued members. This study helps to better understand the organizational behavior and an overall understanding of congregational members, who work most closely with clergy. We used an online survey of clergy across religious traditions within the United States ( N=202), who provided personal data and described their valued members’ collective characteristics. Alongside our conceptual literature review, the findings identified five key groups: Personality, Prosperity, Priority, Productivity, and Piety. Overall, the valued members ranked highest were high on productivity and lowest on prosperity. We also found differences between clergy ranking based on their age, gender, and religion.
The current study examined a unique uninational intervention
program, conducted separately for Jewish and Arab adolescents,
with the aim of cultivating emotional intelligence skills and empa
thy. 287 adolescents aged 16–17 (115 Jews and 172 Arabs) partici
pated in the program and the study to assess its initial effects. All
participants completed self-administered questionnaires; the
researcher conducted observations and focus groups. For the
Arab participants, the findings showed an improvement in emo
tional intelligence, empathy towards Arabs and Jews, and relation
ships with Israeli Jews. Among the Jewish participants, although no
statistically significant change in emotional intelligence was
observed, there were positive changes in empathy, as well as
relationships with Israeli Arabs. The degree of improvement was
stronger among Arab participants
У статті розкрито соціально-психологічні основи розвитку конфліктологічної компетентності фахівців медичної галузі в умовах професійної взаємодії. Проведено теоретико-методологічний аналіз системного, субʼєктно-діяльнісного, особистісно-компетентнісного, інтегративного підходів до вивчення проблеми конфліктологічної компетентності фахівців медичної галузі в умовах професійної взаємодії, у контексті яких така компетентність розглядається з точки зору цілісності, структурності, ієрархічності, динамічності і гуманістичності. Враховуючі зазначені підходи та узагальнене визначення поняття компетентності у науковому психологічному просторі, конфліктологічну компетентність фахівців медичної галузі в умовах професійної взаємодії розглянуто як регулятивну підструктуру їх професіоналізму і професійної діяльності, як інтегральну якість особистості і інтегральну когнітивну здатність, яка визначає темп формування та напрямки розвитку ситуації конфлікту, форми поведінки у конфліктній взаємодії і результати конфлікту, та має взаємозв’язок із соціально-перцептивною, ауто-психологічною, соціально-психологічною, адміністративно-правовою компетентностями, формування кожної з яких сприяє розвитку конфліктологічної компетентності фахівця-медика загалом. Розроблено інтегровану соціально-психологічну програму розвитку конфліктологічної компетентності фахівців медичної галузі в умовах професійної взаємодії, яка включала інформаційний блок (настановний та активізуючий модулі) щодо надання інформації про конфлікти, конфліктні форми взаємодії та ефективні стратегії поведінки у конфлікті в умовах професійної взаємодії фахівців-медиків; рефлексивний блок (практичний та асоціативний модулі) щодо актуалізації рефлексивних процесів у проблемно-конфліктних ситуаціях професійної медичної взаємодії, моделювання конфліктних ситуацій і групових рефлексивних процедур з метою накопичення метакогнітивного досвіду; розвивальний блок (стратегічний та моніторинговий модулі) щодо підвищення конфліктостійкості, формування навичок довільної саморегуляції психоемоційного і функціонального станів фахівців-медиків в умовах професійної взаємодії та оцінки ефективності програмних заходів. Дієвість розробленої програми доведена статистично значущим зростанням показників саморегуляції і самоконтролю, планування і прогнозування, мобілізації та адаптації у конфлікті; покращенням психоемоційного та функціонального станів; орієнтації на пошук ресурсів саморозвитку у вирішенні проблеми, особистісної зрілості, соціального інтересу та самодетермінації, рефлексивності та емпатії. Підвищилась конфліктостійкість фахівців-медиків, що сприяло розширенню просторово-часових меж сприйняття конфліктної проблеми в умовах професійної взаємодії, умінню ефективно використовувати конструктивні технології та стратегії запобігання конфлікту та його вирішення. Ключові слова:фахівці медичної галузі, професійна взаємодія, конфлікт, конфліктологічна компетентість,розвиток конфліктологічної компетентності.
This article proposes an alternative conceptualization of political tolerance, a new measurement strategy consistent with that conceptualization, and some new findings based upon this measurement strategy. Briefly put, we argue that tolerance presumes a political objection to a group or to an idea, and if such an objection does not arise, neither does the problem of tolerance. Working from this understanding, we argue that previous efforts to measure tolerance have failed because they have asked respondents about groups preselected by the investigators. Those groups selected as points of reference in measuring tolerance have generally been of a leftist persuasion. Our measurement strategy allowed respondents themselves to select a political group to which they were strongly opposed. They were then asked a series of questions testing the extent to which they were prepared to extend procedural claims to these self-selected targets. Using this approach, we found little change between the 1950s and the 1970s in levels of tolerance in the United States, a result that contradicts much recent research on the problem.
Extensive research has established the pivotal role that group-based emotions play in shaping intergroup processes. The underlying implicit assumption in previous work has been that these emotions reflect what the rest of the group feels (i.e., collective emotions). However, one can experience an emotion in the name of her group, which is inconsistent with what the collective feels. The current research investigated this phenomenon of emotional non-conformity. Particularly, we proposed that when a certain emotional reaction is perceived as appropriate, but the collective is perceived as not experiencing this emotion, people would experience stronger levels of group-based emotion, placing their emotional experience farther away from that of the collective. We provided evidence for this process across two different emotions: group-based guilt and group-based anger (studies 1, 2) and across different intergroup contexts (Israeli-Palestinian relations in Israel, and Black-White relations in the United-States). In studies 3 and 4 we demonstrate that this process is moderated by the perceived appropriateness of the collective emotional response. Studies 4 and 5 further provided evidence for the mechanisms underlying this effect, pointing to a process of emotional burden (i.e., feeling responsible for carrying the emotion in the name of the group) and of emotional transfer (i.e., transferring negative feeling one has towards the ingroup, towards the event itself). This work brings to light processes that were yet to be studied regarding the relationship between group members, their perception of their group and the emotional processes that connect them.
This chapter describes research on interpersonal attraction in relation to a philosophy of science in terms of the historical antecedents and current developments. The co relational studies of attraction and similarity of attitudes, opinions, beliefs, and values have essentially involved attempts to determine the validity and to extend the generality of this formulation. With minor variations, these studies involved the identification of pairs of individuals who indicate mutual attraction (spouses, fiances, and sociometrically identified friends), an assessment of these individuals on one or more attitudinal measures, and a statistical determination of the pairs' similarity. Often, this similarity is evaluated not only in terms of departure from a theoretical base line of chance pairings but also by comparison with the similarity of random pairs or mutually antagonistic pairs from the same population. The study of attitude similarity between pairs of friends has fed to results parallel to those involving married couples. Misunderstandings and confusions about research goals and research methods in personality and social psychology occur frequently. There are several issues involved when research interest moves from “real-life” studies closely tied to naturalistic observations into laboratory research in which some variables are manipulated and others controlled. A possible research paradigm for the study of attitude similarity–dissimilarity and attraction has been discussed. The chapter also mentions the generality of the similarity–attraction relationship and theory of attraction as reinforcement model.
Two studies investigated the effects of the presentation of stereotype-inconsistent information on stereotype change. The implications of three cognitive models of schema change—the “bookkeeping,” “conversion,” and “subtyping” models (Weber & Crocker, 1983)—were considered. Experiment 1 varied the pattern of stereotype-inconsistent information (concentrated in a few group members, dispersed across many, or intermediate between the two) to compare versions of these models. Trait ratings showed the greatest stereotype change when the stereotype-inconsistent information was dispersed across group members. Typicality measures showed the slight disconfirmers of the dispersed condition to be considered more typical of the group than the strong disconfirmers of the concentrated condition. This was emphasised by a sorting task: in the concentrated condition, the stereotype-disconfirmers were more strongly isolated from the rest of the group than in the dispersed conditions. Multiple regression analyses revealed that only the perceived typicality of disconfirmers mediated stereotype change. Experiment 2 replicated the main findings using microcomputer presentation and also varied the order of stereotypic trait ratings and typicality judgments. Again trait ratings showed the greatest stereotype change in the dispersed condition and reading times were longer for disconfirmers than confirmers, but only in the dispersed condition. Overall, these studies give strong support to a prototype version of the subtyping model.
This chapter begins with a re-presentation of Allport's classic hypothesis and shows—with reference to recent cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys— laboratory experiments, and meta-analysis, that many of his original propositions have capably withstood the test of time. It examines Brewer and Miller's, and Gaertner and Dovidio's attempts to extend the contact hypothesis, in both of which categorization processes play a key role. This approach sets the stage for the model, first published in 1986 by Hewstone and Brown. In that model, emphasis was given on identifying the conditions that would allow the generalization of attitudes and behavior change beyond the specific context in which the contact occurs. The chapter discusses the developments of contact theory that occurred in the 1980s and reviews the empirical research instigated by the Hewstone–Brown model. It also reviews the progress to date and attempts a theoretical integration of these models in the light of the large volume of research that they have stimulated.
We review early and recent psychological theories of dehumanization and survey the burgeoning empirical literature, focusing on six fundamental questions. First, we examine how people are dehumanized, exploring the range of ways in which perceptions of lesser humanness have been conceptualized and demonstrated. Second, we review who is dehumanized, examining the social targets that have been shown to be denied humanness and commonalities among them. Third, we investigate who dehumanizes, notably the personality, ideological, and other individual differences that increase the propensity to see others as less than human. Fourth, we explore when people dehumanize, focusing on transient situational and motivational factors that promote dehumanizing perceptions. Fifth, we examine the consequences of dehumanization, emphasizing its implications for prosocial and antisocial behavior and for moral judgment. Finally, we ask what can be done to reduce dehumanization. We conclude with a discussion of limitations of current scholarship and directions for future research. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Psychology Volume 65 is January 03, 2014. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/catalog/pubdates.aspx for revised estimates.
Countless theoretical texts have been written regarding the centrality of hatred as a force that motivates intergroup conflicts. However, surprisingly, at present, almost no empirical study has been conducted either on the nature and character of group-based hatred or on its implications for conflicts. Therefore, the goal of the current work has been to examine the nature of group-based hatred in conflicts. Three studies were conducted within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The first was a qualitative study, which aimed at creating a preliminary platform for investigation of specific features of group-based hatred. Studies 2 and 3 used various scenarios and survey methods to indicate the appraisal and the behavioral aspects of group-based hatred and to distill them from those of other negative emotions, such as anger or fear. In general, results show that hatred is a distinct emotion that includes a unique cognitive-appraisal component and specific emotional goals.