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Journal of Conflict Resolution
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0022002709346257v1
53/6/951    most recent
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Article

Overcoming Psychological Barriers to Peaceful Conflict Resolution: The Role of Arguments about Losses

Corinna Carmen Gayer1, Shiri Landman2, Eran Halperin3, and Daniel Bar-Tal4*

1 Otto Suhr Institute for Political Science, Free University Berlin
2 The Swiss Center for Conflict Research, Management, and Resolution, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
3 Lauder School of Government, IDC Herzliya, Israel
4 School of Education, Tel-Aviv University

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: daniel{at}post.tau.ac.il.


  Abstract
One of the most important psychological barriers to conflict resolution is the rigid structure of the sociopsychological repertoire that evolves in societies immersed in intractable conflict. This article examines ways to overcome the rigidity of this repertoire in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Specifically, in line with the prospect theory, the authors assumed that elicitation of beliefs about losses stemming from the continuing conflict may bring about a process of "unfreezing." To test this assumption, an exploratory study with a national sample of the Israeli-Jewish population and two subsequent experimental studies were conducted. The results demonstrated that exposure to information about losses inherent in continuing the conflict induces higher willingness to acquire new information about possible solutions to the conflict, higher willingness to reevaluate current positions about it, and more support for compromises than the exposure to neutral information or to information about possible gains derived from the peace agreement.

First published on October 7, 2009, doi:10.1177/0022002709346257

Journal of Conflict Resolution 2009;53:951.

A more recent version of this article appeared on December 1, 2009

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