In search for effective intergroup interventions

Photo: Sandra Matic, Mostphotos.

Sabina Cehajic-Clancy is an Associate Professor of Social Psychology at Stockholm University. Together with the world-renowned scholar, professor Eran Halperin, she recently published an article in the journal Nature Reviews Psychology on psychological intergroup interventions. They state that intergroup relations are experiencing a rapid and troubling decline on a global scale. In the article Sabina Cehajic-Clancy and Eran Halperin then review psychological interventions aimed at improving intergroup relations, highlighting the need for tailored approaches.

They emphasize the importance of understanding intervention goals, recipient characteristics, and contextual factors to optimize intervention effectiveness, while also addressing challenges such as motivation and conformity that can hinder the effectiveness of these interventions. The article tries to answer the question on how to advance research and practice on interventions aimed at improving intergroup relations.

Finding effective strategies to resolve large-scale conflicts and facilitate reconciliation is one important question discussed in the article.

Which strategies are the most effective?

Sabina Cehajic-Clancy
Photo: Henrik Düner

“Effective interventions are those that take into consideration important characteristics of the social context (where are the interventions conducted); recipients characteristics (whom are the interventions targeting) whilst specifying meaningful intervention goals,” says Sabina Cehajic-Clancy.

Key factors for interventions

In the article the researchers also identify key factors for intervention development and optimization. These key factors are:

• What (Intervention goals)
• Who (recipients of interventions)
• Where (Social context)

There is also need for better understanding psychological mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of interventions in contexts of conflict.

“Identifying psychological mechanisms which can explain the processes and outcomes of intervention is important for optimization of interventions but also for development of theory on intergroup relations and social change. This can be done with rigorous research methods conducted in the real-world. To paraphrase Kurt Lewin, only by trying to change something, can we truly understand it,” says Sabina Cehajic-Clancy.

There are many effective interventions that have been shown to improve attitudes, behaviors and regulate emotions towards members of adversarial groups, even in conflict settings, Sabina Cehajic-Clancy adds.

“I would highlight our recently developed and tested intervention on moral exemplars which consists of stories of individuals who have risked their life to save the life of an outgroup member. Participants who read such stories report changes in their intergroup attitudes and behaviours towards adversary groups due to induced emotional experience of moral elevation (e.g., feeling inspired and moved by such stories).” (Read more on this.)

Article: Advancing research and practice of psychological intergroup interventions
in Nature Reviews Psychology

Research group: Intergroup Relations and Social Change
Sabina Cehajic-Clancy’s profile page

Article on Sabina Cehajic-Clancy’s research: Resolving intergroup conflict – one of the most important issues today