The psychology of intergroup conflict: A review of theories and measures

Author(s)
Robert Böhm, Hannes Rusch, Jonathan Baron
Abstract

We review psychological research on intergroup conflict. First, we outline psychological perspectives on forms and functions of groups. Second, we present the most influential psychological theories of intergroup conflict and describe their similarities and differences in predicting individual prejudice, discrimination, and conflict engagement. Third, we review popular measures of intergroup discrimination, including rating measures, behavioral measures, and allocation tasks. Furthermore, we call for a refined semantic framework to structure and differentiate between different measures of intergroup bias. Fourth, we highlight several interventions that can de-bias intergroup relations and facilitate conflict resolution. Lastly, we propose that research on the psychology of intergroup conflict may benefit from a stronger interdisciplinary orientation regarding both theoretical perspectives and methods used and point out promising avenues for future research.

Organisation(s)
External organisation(s)
Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, Philipps Universität Marburg, Technische Universität München, University of Pennsylvania
Journal
Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization
Volume
178
Pages
947-962
No. of pages
16
ISSN
0167-2681
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2018.01.020
Publication date
01-2018
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
501021 Social psychology
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Economics and Econometrics, Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/f8bca7e6-82a2-4af1-9de4-9f5461624e42