Addressing Resilience in the Western Alliance Against Fragmentation: Willingness to Sacrifice and the Spiritual Dimension of Intergroup Cooperation and Conflict
Abstract
Prevailing paradigms in academic studies of politics and international relations, and in foreign policymaking and military strategy, focus on the establishment, dissolution, and management of cooperative alliances based on material interests (e.g., economic conditions and goals, physical security of persons and territory), whether as an end in itself or as the necessary first step to facilitate a convergence of values and identities. Yet, evidence from our previous DoD-supported historical research, cultural surveys, behavioral studies and neuroimaging experiments in conflict-related situations suggest that commitment to cherished values or deep attachment to group identities can override material interests from the outset, or lead to recalibration of interests in conformity with devotion to values and identity (e.g., as when mistaken beliefs about the material costs imposed by immigration are unresponsive to available evidence because of explicit or implicit beliefs about immigrant values and identity attachments).
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 24, 2019
- Source ID
- FA95501810496
Entities
People
- Scott Atran
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Pembroke College
- United States Air Force