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

Revision Note

Claire Neeson

Last updated

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

Examiner Tips and Tricks

There are (sadly) a lot of current examples of intergroup conflict that you could use in an exam response in a question on conflict and conflict resolution. Using current events in your exam answers will show that you are fully aware of global events which is part of the IB Learner Profile.

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.

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Claire Neeson

Author: Claire Neeson

Expertise: Psychology Content Creator

Claire has been teaching for 34 years, in the UK and overseas. She has taught GCSE, A-level and IB Psychology which has been a lot of fun and extremely exhausting! Claire is now a freelance Psychology teacher and content creator, producing textbooks, revision notes and (hopefully) exciting and interactive teaching materials for use in the classroom and for exam prep. Her passion (apart from Psychology of course) is roller skating and when she is not working (or watching 'Coronation Street') she can be found busting some impressive moves on her local roller rink.