Conflict and Cooperation

Conflict

perceived incompatibility between goals

Causes of Conflict

• Social Dilemmas

• threats

• competition

Social Dilemmas

when self-interests go against what’s best for the group

Real Life Examples of Social Dilemmas

Pollution, climate change, chores

Prisoners Dilemma

Two men are arrested for murder and the max sentence is 30 years. Both ben are known to be guilty but prosecution only has enough evidence to convict for breaking and entering which is 3 years. Separate the suspects so they can’t communicate.

• If one suspect confesses, he will go free and the other suspect will get the max 30 years for murder 

• If both confess, both will get 10 years ( compromise sentence)

• If neither confesses, both will get 3 years from breaking and entering

Prisoner Dilemma: What does it show?

Pits peoples desire to look out for their own interest against the benefits of cooperation 

Most people start out confessing (competing)

• If you cooperate but your partner doesnt, you can get hurt 

• Cant trust the other person → need to look out for yourself 

Because both parties think this way, both end up losing 

• Unable to reach maximum joint profit 

Climate Change

All countries would benefit in the long term from addressing climate change, but each individual country would have to act; the short term benefit of doing nothing tends to outweigh crossnational change

Doping in Sports

If no one uses performance enhancing drugs, no one gains an unfair advantage; if one athlete dopes, they gain a competitive advantage; if everyone dopes, the benefits disappear but the health risks remain

Public Goods Dilemma

individuals must contribute to a common pool in order to maintain the public good (ex. taxes, blood supply)

Commons Dilemma

 everyone takes from a common pool of goods 

(The pool can replenish itself if used in moderation, but will disappear if overused → everyone suffers )

• Examples: fishing, grazing, pollution

Solutions

• Communication

• regulation

• smaller groups- everyone is responsible

• change the payoffs

Robbers Cave Studies (Sherif & Sherif 1954; Sherif et al., 1961)

How easy is it to make intergroup conflict happen? And what does it take to reduce intergroup conflict? 3 PHASES Participants: 22 unacquainted 11-12 year old boys at Robber’s Cave summer camp in Oklahoma

Phase 1

• Boys randomly assigned to groups (Rattlers & Eagles)

• Not aware of the other group

• Did normal camp activities

• Goal: build ingroup cohesiveness

Phase 2: Groups become aware

• Competition introduced

• Intergroup conflict developed: fights, name calling, cabin raids, theft, flag burning, ...

Phase 3A: non competitive contact introduced

• Did not reduce the conflict at all

• Mostly provided more opportunities for fighting!

Phase 3B: superordinate goals & cooperation

• Water supply “broke,” camp truck “broke down”

• Success!

• Negative stereotypes declined, outgroup friendships developed, and sharing/empathy developed

Realistic Group Conflict Theory

• Competition (e.g., for scarce resources) causes intergroup conflict

• Cooperation (seeking to achieve shared goals) reduces

conflict and leads to intergroup harmony

Intergroup Contact

Segregation increases prejudice and conflict 

→ putting groups into contact with each other will help reduce prejudice and conflict 

Ideal conditions for Intergroup Contact

• Equal status (within the contact situation)

• Cooperation (robbers cave)

• Support of authorities 

• Potential for forming friendships 

Scope of Contact

Intergroup contact reduces prejudice against:

1. racial/ethnic outgroups 

2. The elderly

3. People with disabilities 

4. People with severe mental illness diagnosis 

5. Gay men and women 

Contact Works (Pettigrew & Tropp 2006)

Meta-analysis of the effect of contact on prejudice

• 515 studies 

• Conducted between 1940 and 2000

• Total of 250,089 participants from 38 countries 

Conclusion: contact does reduce prejudice