Citation

McLamore Q, Adelman L, Leidner B. Person. Soc. Psychol. Bull. 2019; ePub(ePub): 146167219841638.

Affiliation

University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0146167219841638

PMID

30975037

Abstract

Conflict narratives are cornerstones of group identity, but often facilitate violence by framing the group's actions in ways that foster defensive forms of group identification (i.e., glorification). Three experiments tested whether alternative narratives inclusive of the ingroup's and the adversarial group's suffering can reduce glorification. Israeli Jews (Study 1) and Americans (Study 2) reported less glorification after reading inclusive narratives rather than narratives that dismiss the outgroup's suffering. Study 3 found that through reducing glorification, inclusive narratives indirectly weakened support for retributive justice and militaristic policies and strengthened support for reconciliation. These effects were specific to people high in both (preexisting) glorification and attachment-people identified by prior research as the strongest supporters of violent approaches to conflict. These findings suggest that alternative narratives can reduce glorification by challenging the myopic focus of traditional conflict narratives on ingroup victimization, helping societies move beyond intractable conflict toward lasting peace.

Language: en

Keywords

glorification; intergroup conflict; justice; narrative; reconciliation