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Intergroup atrocities in war: a neuroscientific perspective
1Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford. kathleen.taylor@physiol.ox.ac.uk
Medicine, Conflict, and Survival
|September 12, 2006
Summary
This study explores the neuroscientific origins of extreme intergroup violence, like war atrocities. It links brain function and social psychology to understand how atrocities arise, using Guantanamo Bay as a case study.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Social Psychology
- Psychology
Background:
- Historical and social research has long studied extreme intergroup hatred outcomes such as murder, mass killings, and genocides.
- Neuroscience and psychology have also investigated interpersonal and intergroup violence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the neuroscientific underpinnings of how atrocities arise.
- To focus on war as the primary context for such extreme violence.
- To apply a neuroscientific framework to a real-world case study.
Main Methods:
- Describing relevant brain functions.
- Relating brain function to social psychological research on intergroup hostility.
- Applying the developed framework to a case study of the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay.
Main Results:
- The study outlines key aspects of brain function relevant to intergroup hostility.
- It integrates neuroscientific findings with social psychological theories of conflict.
- A framework is presented and applied to the Guantanamo Bay case study.
Conclusions:
- Understanding atrocities requires integrating neuroscientific and social psychological perspectives.
- War provides a critical context for examining the neurobiology of extreme intergroup violence.
- The Guantanamo Bay case study illustrates the practical application of this integrated framework.
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