[CoPIn]: Collective Punishment and Intergroup Relations: How Collective Punishment Induce Ingroup Identification, Outgroup Hostility, and Counter Actions

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Thomas Kessler; Mete Sefa Uysal, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Social Psychology, Industrial and Organisational Psychology
• Term: Funded in 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 547479613

The proposed project aims to enhance our understanding of the intricate dynamics surrounding collective punishment within intergroup conflicts. Collective punishment involves subjecting a group to negative consequences due to the actions of a few, presenting a complex phenomenon that has significant implications for group dynamics, cooperation, and conflict resolution. The project has three primary objectives. First, to investigate the influence of collective punishment on counter confrontational collective action encompassing various forms of protest, activism, or aggressive responses undertaken by individuals or groups in response to perceived unfair treatment and explore the creation of a cycle of punishment and revenge. Second, to examine how collective punishment heightens willingness to engage in counter confrontational collective action through increased ingroup identification, outgroup hostility, and competitive victimhood. Hence, the project incorporates social psychological processes—ingroup identification, outgroup hostility, and competitive victimhood—as mediating pathways to understand the reactions to collective punishment. These factors play a crucial role in shaping individuals' responses to intergroup conflicts. Last, to explore the impact of leaders from both sides (punished and punishers) on the relationship between punishment and counter confrontational collective action. The project will be conducted through three work packages, utilizing experiments across five distinct contexts. The chosen contexts span ideological and ethnic conflicts, including climate activism in the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and the USA; and the Turkish-Kurdish conflict in Türkiye. These contexts provide diverse settings to investigate the broad applicability and nuanced variations of the research model. The first work package examines the influence of collective punishment on counter confrontational collective action. The subsequent packages introduce the impact of leadership dynamics, exploring how the source of punishment (e.g., outgroup leader, lay members of outgroup) and the punishment of ingroup leaders influence group members' responses. The research aims to uncover how collective punishment shapes individuals' intentions to engage in counter confrontational collective actions and how factors like identification, competitive victimhood, and outgroup hostility contribute to these intentions. Additionally, the study seeks to understand how the characteristics of those responsible for collective punishment and the context in which it occurs influence group members' reactions. The project's findings have the potential to inform strategies for conflict resolution and mitigation across different societal and cultural contexts. By delving into the complexities of collective punishment, the research provides insights crucial for fostering positive relations and preventing cycles of violence in diverse conflicts.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Canada
• Cooperation Partners: Dr. Sami Coksan; Professorin Dr. Victoria Esses