Collective psychological ownership and reconciliation in territorial conflicts
Based on:
Journal Article (2020) ↗
In conflict regions such as Kosovo, Cyprus and Israel, ethnic group members who feel more strongly that the disputed territory belongs to their own group are less willing to reconcile the with the rival outgroup.
Brief by:
In some situations different ethnic groups claim the same territory, for instance Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo, or Jews and Arabs in Israel. These are examples of ‘territorial conflicts’ and one challenge in such conflicts is finding a way for the groups to reconcile. We researched whether people who identify strongly with their group are more likely to claim that their group owns the disputed territory, and whether these ownership beliefs explain why some group members are less open to reconciliation with the other group. It is important to understand these relationships to find ways to foster reconciliation.
Key findings
We found among Serbs from Serbia, Serbs from Kosovo, Greek Cypriots and Israeli Jews that people who identified more strongly with their group also had a stronger sense of territorial ownership, and this sense of ownership was related to a lower willingness to reconcile.
Proposed action
Territorial ownership perceptions are widespread in territorial conflicts, this is one of the reasons why they are so difficult to resolve
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Collective psychological ownership and reconciliation in territorial conflicts
Cite this brief: Storz, Nora. 'Collective psychological ownership and reconciliation in territorial conflicts'. Acume. https://www.acume.org/r/collective-psychological-ownership/
Brief created by: Nora Storz | Year brief made: 2021
Original research:
- B. M., Storz, N., & et al., ‘Collective psychological ownership and reconciliation in territorial conflicts’ 8(1) (pp. 404–425) https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v8i1.1145. – https://jspp.psychopen.eu/article/view/1145
Research brief:
In conflict regions such as Kosovo, Cyprus and Israel, ethnic group members who feel more strongly that the disputed territory belongs to their own group are less willing to reconcile the with the rival outgroup.
In some situations different ethnic groups claim the same territory, for instance Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo, or Jews and Arabs in Israel. These are examples of ‘territorial conflicts’ and one challenge in such conflicts is finding a way for the groups to reconcile. We researched whether people who identify strongly with their group are more likely to claim that their group owns the disputed territory, and whether these ownership beliefs explain why some group members are less open to reconciliation with the other group. It is important to understand these relationships to find ways to foster reconciliation.
Findings:
We found among Serbs from Serbia, Serbs from Kosovo, Greek Cypriots and Israeli Jews that people who identified more strongly with their group also had a stronger sense of territorial ownership, and this sense of ownership was related to a lower willingness to reconcile.
Advice:
Territorial ownership perceptions are widespread in territorial conflicts, this is one of the reasons why they are so difficult to resolve
- Creating a narrative of more inclusive, shared ownership might be one way to tackle territorial conflicts, and to induce more reconciliatory attitudes