Conflict

Abstract

This chapter tells the story of Sherif’s Robbers Cave experiment, where a group of boys were invited to a false summer camp to experience group dynamics in action. Split into two groups, conflict was purposely created and dispelled across a series of coordinated events, highlighting just how hardwired group designations are in the human psyche. The chapter continues by looking at The Troubles of Northern Ireland through the lens of social identity theory, which explains how social mobility, group categorization, and self-esteem influence the pervasiveness of group conflict. Together, these examples demonstrate that the creation of superordinate goals, blurring of social lines, and reducing the importance of group differentiators can have a marked impact on prejudice and unite people of different backgrounds.