On Social Psychology and Conflict

Much of the substance of conflict falls under the domain of social psychology, and previous research has made great progress in understanding the processes that underlie intergroup relations. Several high-status researchers have argued for the necessity of social psychological research to augment and inform other theories of violent conflict, mainly those used by political scientists and International Relations analysts (see, for example, Kelman, 2008). However, these interdisciplinary approaches are in their infancy. Moreover, social psychological contributions to the understanding of war and other forms of violent conflict lack integration with political theories of conflict resolution, and as such are often marginalized, ensuring social psychology’s inability to inform and augment policy formation in this area.