EMOTIONAL PROCESSES IN INTRACTABLE CONFLICTS

Emotions have been described as the psychological fuel driving and escalating intractable conflicts. The role of emotional processes in intractable conflicts can be studied from two perspectives. The first perspective is a descriptive one, in which scholars examine the crucial role played by individuals’ and groups’ emotional experiences in conflict situations. Here, emotions have been studied as both outcomes (of appraisals) and antecedents (of attitudes and behaviors). The second perspective is an interventionist one, focusing on the way emotional change (or regulation) can promote conciliatory attitudes and behaviors among the conflict’s involved parties. The following chapter offers an integrative model, bringing together both the descriptive and the interventionist approaches. The model encapsulates both the role of emotional experiences in preserving or transforming conflicts, and the potential role of emotion regulation strategies in contributing to conflict resolution efforts.