Group conflict, or hostilities between different groups, is a feature common to all forms of human social organization (e.g., sports teams, ethnic groups, nations, religions, gangs),[1] and also occurs in social animals.[2] Although group conflict is one of the most complex phenomena studied by social scientists,[3] the history of the human race evidences a series of group-level conflicts that have gained notoriety over the years. For example, from 1820 to 1945, it has been estimated that at least 59 million persons were killed during conflicts between groups of one type or another.[4] Literature suggests that the number of fatalities[clarification needed] nearly doubled between the years 1914 to 1964 as a result of further group conflict.[5]
Group conflict can be separated into two sub-categories of conflict: inter-group conflict (in which distinct groups of individuals are at odds with one another), and intra-group conflict (in which select individuals that are part of the same group clash with one another). Although both forms of conflict have the ability to spiral upward in severity, it has been noted[by whom?] that conflict present at the group level (i.e., inter-group rivalries) is generally considered to be more powerful than conflict present at an individual level – a phenomenon known as the discontinuity effect.[6]
- ^ Sigmund Freud, Civilization, Society and Religion (PFL 12) p. 353
- ^ Rusch, H.; Gavrilets, S. (2017). "The logic of animal intergroup conflict: A review". Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. 178: 1014–1030. doi:10.1016/j.jebo.2017.05.004.
- ^ Böhm, R.; Rusch, H.; Baron, B. (2018). "The Psychology of Intergroup Conflict: A Review of Theories and Measures". Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. 178: 947–962. doi:10.1016/j.jebo.2018.01.020. S2CID 53644149.
- ^ Desmond Morris, The Naked Ape Trilogy (1994) p. 251
- ^ R. D. Laing, The Politics of Experience (1984) p. 64
- ^ Forsyth, D. R. (2009). Group dynamics (5th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.