Intergroup conflict and barriers to common ground: A self‐affirmation perspective

Psychological barriers to conflict resolution stem, in part, from defensive responses to feelings of self‐threat. Self‐affirmation theory proposes that affirmations of global self‐worth—often achieved by writing or reflecting on core values—can broaden individuals' perspectives and potentially reduce biases in their intergroup judgments. In this paper, we review the extant literature on the use of self‐affirmation to potentially reduce intergroup biases in order to shed light on the role of self‐threat in perpetuating conflict. Self‐affirmation has been shown to impact 3 key aspects of intergroup conflict: (a) the strength with which conflict‐supporting beliefs are held, (b) the biased processing of conflict‐relevant information, and (c) the resistance to seeing common ground in negotiations. Discussion centers on the limits as well as the potential of self‐affirmation to promote openness and conflict resolution.