TY - JOUR
T1 - Identity formation in the shadow of conflict
T2 - Projective drawings by Palestinian and Israeli Arab children from the West Bank and Gaza
AU - Elbedour, Salman
AU - Bastien, David T.
AU - Center, Bruce A.
PY - 1997/5
Y1 - 1997/5
N2 - Social identity is thought to be the means through which individuals understand themselves in their social context. Understanding the processes of identity formation in the context of intergroup conflict is particularly important, since social identity is critical to understanding how people act. Social identity, though, has been a difficult process to study since it is a purely internal construct. In this study, we argue that free- form drawings provide the greatest insight into how people see themselves in their social context. Data were gathered from Arab subjects in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Among the important findings is that subjects exposed to the greatest conflict tend to organize their identities in ways that include their enemy as well as themselves. This necessarily creates a situation where the conflict becomes self- perpetuating.
AB - Social identity is thought to be the means through which individuals understand themselves in their social context. Understanding the processes of identity formation in the context of intergroup conflict is particularly important, since social identity is critical to understanding how people act. Social identity, though, has been a difficult process to study since it is a purely internal construct. In this study, we argue that free- form drawings provide the greatest insight into how people see themselves in their social context. Data were gathered from Arab subjects in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Among the important findings is that subjects exposed to the greatest conflict tend to organize their identities in ways that include their enemy as well as themselves. This necessarily creates a situation where the conflict becomes self- perpetuating.
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U2 - 10.1177/0022343397034002007
DO - 10.1177/0022343397034002007
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0031503107
SN - 0022-3433
VL - 34
SP - 217
EP - 231
JO - Journal of Peace Research
JF - Journal of Peace Research
IS - 2
ER -