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Related Concept Videos

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In social psychology, the interplay between individuals and groups is a central concern, particularly regarding how individual actions and characteristics influence group processes and outcomes. While much research emphasizes the group's power in shaping individual behavior, it is equally significant to understand how individuals contribute to the functioning, development, and success of groups.Individual Roles in Group Productivity and Decision-MakingIndividuals are not passive participants in...
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Social psychologists analyze how groups influence one another, shaping social structures and interactions through both cooperation and competition. These dynamics manifest in various ways, ranging from economic partnerships to intergroup conflicts that shape societal structures and perceptions.Cooperation and Competition in Intergroup RelationsIntergroup relationships vary across contexts, sometimes fostering cooperation and mutual benefit while at other times leading to conflict and...
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Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
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Key individuals catalyse intergroup violence.

Luke Glowacki1, Rose McDermott2

  • 1Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|April 4, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Key individuals initiate intergroup violence by altering costs and benefits for others. Understanding these key individuals offers new insights into the emergence of coalitionary aggression in humans and animals.

Keywords:
aggressioncollective actioncooperationimpact individualskey individualswarfare

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Social behavior
  • Animal behavior

Background:

  • Intergroup violence presents a puzzle: why do individuals risk harm to attack other groups?
  • Existing research on violence mechanisms offers limited insight into how coalitionary aggression emerges.
  • The role of specific individuals in initiating violence has been underappreciated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the crucial role of "key individuals" in the emergence of intergroup violence.
  • To explore the motivations and mechanisms by which key individuals instigate coalitionary aggression.
  • To integrate empirical evidence from humans and non-human animals regarding individual variation in violence initiation.

Main Methods:

  • Review and integration of diverse empirical research from human and non-human animal studies.
  • Analysis of factors influencing key individuals' decisions to initiate violence (costs, benefits, individual traits).
  • Examination of processes through which key individuals catalyze coalitionary violence (altering costs/benefits, coordination).

Main Results:

  • Key individuals play a critical role in the emergence of intergroup violence.
  • These individuals may be motivated by differential costs/benefits or specific traits like boldness.
  • Key individuals facilitate violence through mechanisms such as altering group dynamics or providing coordination.

Conclusions:

  • Inter-individual variation, particularly the actions of key individuals, is vital for understanding the emergence of intergroup violence.
  • Focusing on key individuals provides novel perspectives on the initiation and escalation of conflict across taxa.
  • This research highlights the importance of individual agency in the evolution of social conflict.