Origins of Conflict & Conflict Resolution: The Contact Hypothesis (DP IB Psychology)

The origins of conflict

• Conflict between groups (intergroup conflict) involves:

  • A disagreement, point of ideological difference or confrontation between one group and at least one other group, for example:

    • Those who voted to leave the EU and those who voted to remain in the EU 

    • Those who believe in one religion and those who believe in a different religion

    • Those who feel that their identity is being swamped or ‘invaded’ by one or more other groups

• Intergroup conflict may be based on:

  • Fear, wariness or suspicion of other groups

  • Feelings of superiority or inferiority to other groups

  • Feelings of injustice/unfairness about the treatment and experience of one’s own group compared to that of other groups

• Intergroup conflict will depend on:

  • The size of each group involved in the conflict

  • The attitudes and ideologies of each group involved in the conflict

  • The goals, aims and objectives of each group involved in the conflict

  • The structure and organisational capacities of each group involved in the conflict

One theory of intergroup conflict is realistic conflict theory which was covered on a previous revision note and which stems from the idea of ‘us’ versus ‘them’ i.e. ingroups and outgroups

The contact hypothesis & conflict resolution

• The contact hypothesis (Allport, 1954) was suggested as a way of:

  • resolving conflict between communities

  • improving intergroup attitudes and relationships

  • reducing intergroup anxiety

• Allport suggested that intergroup conflict and prejudice might be reduced by:

  • increased contact between groups 

  • contact between groups that is regular and frequent

  • contact between groups that could lead to genuine relationships being built

  • meaningful cooperation between groups that happens over time and which may involve a joint project or goal, for example:

    • reducing drug-related crime in the area

    • hosting a street party

• Local councils, schools, police and other official sources should support the efforts made by the groups

• Intergroup contact must be seen to be important to those from each group involved

Evaluation of the contact hypothesis

Strengths

• The theory has good intentions in that it is seeking to find a solution to prejudice, discrimination and conflict which means that it could be applied to a range of real-life situations, giving it external validity

• The theory draws from a range of established psychological theories such as:

  • social identity theory

  • realistic conflict theory

    • which means that it can be tested using these theories to form hypotheses

Limitations

• There has been robust criticism of the theory:

  • There are too many criteria involved, making the theory somewhat ‘messy’

  • Pettigrew (1986) likened the theory to a ‘laundry list’, stating that it was incoherent and overly vague

• One major issue with the contact hypothesis is the requirement that members of different groups must interact, which is not always possible, for example:

  • Israelis and Palestinians

  • Blacks and Whites in Apartheid South Africa

  • Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland during the Troubles

Research which investigates the contact hypothesis

• Pettigrew & Tropp (2006): a meta-analysis of contact hypothesis research

• Turner et al. (2007): merely imagining contact with an outgroup can increase positive feelings for that group

Pettigrew & Tropp (2006) and Turner et al. (2007) are available as ‘Two Key Studies of Origins of Conflict & Conflict Resolution’ – just navigate the Group Dynamics section to find them.