The current study focuses on the relationship between agreeableness and conflict tactics in intergroup conflict. Intergroup conflict arises when multiple groups have incompatible needs. Individuals...Show moreThe current study focuses on the relationship between agreeableness and conflict tactics in intergroup conflict. Intergroup conflict arises when multiple groups have incompatible needs. Individuals can invest in intergroup conflict at their own cost through conflict tactics such as ingroup bias or outgroup harm. The trait agreeableness may be an important predictor in the choice for conflict tactics. I hypothesized that agreeableness was positively associated with ingroup bias and negatively associated with outgroup harm. This study operationalized intergroup conflict with the Intergroup Prisoner’s Dilemma Maximizing-Differences (IPD-MD) (N = 126). The results supported the first hypothesis that indeed, highly agreeable people show more ingroup bias in intergroup conflict than their less agreeable counterparts. However, the second hypothesis was not supported by our results, as no relationship was found between agreeableness and outgroup harm. Finally, this study includes several theories to explain these results, as well as directions for future research.Show less
Loss aversion has been widely investigated as a factor influencing decision-making and conflict. I proposed that conflicts in groups are most likely to occur when maximizing ingroup benefit...Show moreLoss aversion has been widely investigated as a factor influencing decision-making and conflict. I proposed that conflicts in groups are most likely to occur when maximizing ingroup benefit involves harming the outgroup and both parties believe they would suffer losses if they did not compete, losses that loom larger than equivalent gains due to loss aversion. This study examined whether high levels of loss aversion are indeed a potential drive for intergroup conflict. Participants consisted of 126 individuals. The study operationalized the Intergroup Prisoner’s Dilemma—Maximizing Difference (IPD-MD) game, which investigates the motivational processes that lead to intergroup conflict. There were two main hypotheses in the present study: first, even though people avoid benefiting the ingroup while deliberately harming the outgroup, I hypothesized that they will do so when it is more efficient for their group, and, second, that high scores in loss aversion will be associated with more investments in the between-group pool (intergroup conflict). The findings strongly supported my first hypothesis, as, indeed, participants decided to invest more in the between-group pool compared to the within-group pool when the former was more efficient. The results for the second hypothesis did not reach significance in our sample. Nonetheless, future research is encouraged with a larger sample size and with added moderators to the model, such as age.Show less
