Abstract
Although uncommon, when the perfect storm of intractable conflict hits, it can undermine the security and well-being of families, communities, and societies everywhere. When viewed through the lens of dynamical systems, both the low frequency and highly destructive consequences of this perplexing phenomenon become understandable. In general terms, conflict intractability develops when social, psychological, and structural elements interact over time to promote the emergence of a stable and coherent pattern of thought and behavior organized around perceived incompatibilities. These patterns function as attractors in that they “attract” the mental and behavioral dynamics of the parties to the conflict. As the conflict becomes a primary focus of each party’s thoughts, feelings, and actions, a wide variety of events and forces—even those that seem irrelevant to the conflict—are framed in a way that intensifies or maintains the conflict. Metaphorically, the conflict acts like a gravity well into which the surrounding mental, behavioral, and social-structural landscape begins to slide. Once trapped in such a well, escape requires tremendous energy and commitment and thus becomes difficult, if not seemingly impossible. Such dynamics are today apparent in Israel/Palestine, the Colombia/FARC conflict, and even in the current low-intensity conflict dynamics on the island of Cyprus.
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Vallacher, R.R. et al. (2013). Traps: Intractable Conflict as a Dynamical System. In: Attracted to Conflict: Dynamic Foundations of Destructive Social Relations. Peace Psychology Book Series. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35280-5_5
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