INTERGROUP RELATIONS & CONFLICT
My research on intergroup relations and conflict has adopted ‘mixed’ methods. In this section you will find different examples of laboratory experiments and field studies, using quantitative and qualitative methods. Also, you will find theoretical discussions as well as critical assessments of policies. In my recent work, I have proposed that we need to set aside the two traditional policies for managing intergroup relations, ‘multiculturalism’ and ‘assimilation’, and instead adopt an exciting and far more promising new policy, ‘omniculturalism’.
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HUMAN RIGHTS & DUTIES
“We want justice! They have trampled on our rights!” This is a typical complaint from people embroiled in conflict. Fairness and the violation of rights and duties are major reasons given for violence. In this section you will find examples of my research on this theme of subjective justice.
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PSYCHOLOGY IN THREE WORLDS
The global dominance of American psychology, as well as other social sciences, has more to do with the superpower and military status of the United States than it has with American research superiority. The exportation of traditional American psychology to the rest of the world, with little real regard for cultural ‘appropriateness’, and its impact is a theme in this section.
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POSITIONING THEORY
One of the most exciting research developments in the last few decades has been the multidisciplinary ‘narrative’ turn in social research, involving linguists, psychologists, micro-sociologists, philosophers, anthropologists, political scientists, communications studies, and others. The works in this section reflect my involvement in developing ‘positioning theory’, which is integral to the narrative turn.
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THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CITIZEN
How does a child become a citizen, capable of social, economic, and political participation in a society? This question has historically been addressed by social philosophers and political scientists, but I believe psychological science has important contributions to make in answering this question. In this section, you find the start of my efforts to address this question, using the concepts of ‘psychological citizen’, ‘psychological social contract’ and ‘cultural carriers’.
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THEORY& PSYCHOLOGY
In this section you will find a selection of theoretical discussions concerning social behavior, and the relationship between psychological science and other fields of human scholarship, such as literature. At the highest level of abstraction, science and art are both concerned with developing narratives about ourselves and our universes. The more powerful the narrative, the better it will be able to bridge the ‘art-science’ gap.