The Impact of Political Violence on Community

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The Impact of Political Violence on Community
Morality in Northern Ireland

• Dr. Neil Ferguson

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A Worrying Canvas

• 30 Years of Political Conflict
• A Kohlbergian Approach
• Early Research
• Fields (1973, 1976)
• Contemporary Research
• Breslin (1982)
• Cairns Conlon (1985)
• Ferguson Cairns (1996, 2002)

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Fears

• The inhabitants of that place (N. Ireland) are
  being destroyed both physically and
  psychologically (Fields, 1976)
• when peace returns to Northern Ireland there
  will be a continuing epidemic of violence and
  antisocial behaviour amongst teenagers (Lyons,
  1973)

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Moral Atmosphere

• the sense of community or the sense of group
  solidarity, and cohesion attained in a group
  (Kohlberg, 1984)
• profound influence on the moral decision making
  of individuals (Kohlberg et al, 1983)
• morality can not be understood unless we take
  full account of the social, cultural and
  historical context (Haste, 1996)

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How Does it Work?

• Constructive Decentration
• Fueled by role taking opportunities
• Selective Process
• Moral Ceiling

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Design Study 1
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HIGH VIOLENCE SAMPLE AND LOW VIOLENCE SAMPLE

• SAMPLE N SRMS GLOBAL STAGE
  SD
• HIGH VIO 195 260.76 3(2) 35.97
• LOW VIO 226 269.30 3(2) 39.11
• F(1,411)5.124 plt .024

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Moral Atmosphere

• Segregation/social Cleavage
• Demonization Victimization
• Avoidance Strategies
• Superficial Contact
• Conservative Attitudes

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Northern Ireland Divided into the three research
areas
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Design Study 2
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Comparison of British, Irish North American
Samples
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Conclusion Study 2

• Developing Normally?
• At a societal level
• Cultures of violence cultures of co-existence
• The Future

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Inter-Community Contact

• Integrated Education
• EMU Cultural Heritage
• Problems
• The Contact Hypothesis
• The Future

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The Contact Hypothesis

• Prolonged Contact
• Co-Operative Activity
• Official Support
• Equal Status Numbers
• Voluntary Participation
• Provide Information to
• Dispel Ignorance
• Highlight Similarities Differences

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Im an Ulster man of planter stock. I was born in
the Island of Ireland, so secondarily Im an
Irish man . I was born in the British archipelago
and English is my native tongue, so I am British.
The British archipelago is offshore to the
continent of Europe, so Im European. This is my
hierarchy of values and as far as Im concerned
anyone who omits one step in the sequence of
values is falsifying the situation. (Hewitt,
1974).
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The Future

• Are Children the only Answer?
• Superordinate Category
• Recent Political Change
• Ceasefires, Referendum, Impasse
• Problems
• Disarmament, Parades, Punishment Shootings