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Emotions and Emotion Regulation in Intractable Conflict and Their Relation to the Ethos of Conflict in Israeli Society

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A Social Psychology Perspective on The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Part of the book series: Peace Psychology Book Series ((PPBS))

Abstract

People living in intractable conflicts tend to adopt a rigid Ethos of Conflict (EOC), guiding their everyday attitudes and behaviors with regard to the conflict. Group-based emotions, as potent motivators, may account for much of the influence the EOC has on such reactions to intermittent events and information. Furthermore, because emotions are both powerful and changeable, in their regulation they may also constitute an important key to overcoming barriers to conflict resolution. Therefore, it is important to first of all understand emotional processes fully so as to understand the psychology of life in conflict. Nonetheless, it is even more important to understand how these processes are shaped by the EOC, an overarching ideological belief system pervasive within societies in conflict and a central element of this unique context. The present chapter focuses on emotions and emotion regulation and their appearance in Israeli society and proposes how Daniel Bar-Tal’s notion of an EOC may shape emotions and their regulation. Specifically, we examine three important ways in which the EOC may impact these emotional processes in intractable conflict: by shaping the emotions Israelis experience, by shaping the political outcomes of these emotions, and by guiding Israelis’ attempts to regulate the emotions they experience in light of the conflict.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Data file 1 consisted of a representative sample of 501 Jewish Israelis (253 females and 248 males) who voluntarily participated in a telephone survey conducted in Israel in October 2007, 3 weeks prior to the Annapolis Conference to relaunch peace negotiations. Data file 2 included a representative sample of Jewish Israelis who completed an online questionnaire distributed by the research firm Midgam Project (MP ) in two waves: 808 participants responded in February 2012 (during a period of relative calm) and 402 (203 females and 199 males, ages ranging from 18 to 81, M = 45.65, SD = 15.4) responded again in November 2012 (during Israel’s 1-week military operation in Gaza, a time of war).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Ruthie Pliskin

  2. Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel

    Ruthie Pliskin & Eran Halperin

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  1. Ruthie Pliskin
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  2. Eran Halperin
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Correspondence to Ruthie Pliskin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel

    Keren Sharvit

  2. Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Psychology, Herzilya, Israel

    Eran Halperin

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Pliskin, R., Halperin, E. (2016). Emotions and Emotion Regulation in Intractable Conflict and Their Relation to the Ethos of Conflict in Israeli Society. In: Sharvit, K., Halperin, E. (eds) A Social Psychology Perspective on The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Peace Psychology Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24841-7_11

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