Graduate Student, Psychology
About
I am interested in the individual and group preference shifts that appear to take place amidst violent conflict, i.e. the micro-foundations of violent radicalization. I have taken several approaches to this issue:
1) Ethnographic Research: From 2002-06, I conducted interviews and surveys with would-be bombers, families of bombers, and militants in the West Bank, Gaza, Bat Ein (extremist Jewish settlement), and Beeston. Interviewees often appeared more concerned about the process of the conflict than its outcome, focusing on dignity and justice rather than strategic ends. The motivations of would-be bombers appeared to be expressive rather than instrumental.
2) Multidisciplinary Research on Emotions and Beliefs: Neuroscientific and psychological research has identified situations which produce shifts in individual and group empathy, moral judgments, and punishment tendencies. These finding suggest mechanisms to help us better understand conflict dynamics.
3) I am currently involved in experimental research to better understand the vicarious aspects of anger and outrage: (a) in terms of antecedents--when and how much we feel it on behalf of group members, and (b) whether the blame or retaliation associated with it is also vicarious--in the sense that we will punish outgroup members who were not the perpetrators.
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