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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The Causes

• A struggle between those who wish to remain part
  of the UK (Protestants/Unionists/Loyalists) and
  those who wish to see the reunification of the
  island of Ireland (Catholics/Nationalists/Republic
  ans).
• 44 of the population are Catholic and 53 are
  Protestant (N. Ireland Census 2002).
• Church membership is high (87) as is church
  attendance (62 attend church weekly).
• We have just enough religion to make us hate,
  and not enough to make us love one another (Dean
  Swift)

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The Costs

• The Victims
• Over 3,700 killed since 1969.
• The dead have been predominantly male (91) and
  young (37 under 24, 53 under 29 74 under
  39).
• Majority of deaths were civilians with no
  attachment to security or paramilitary forces.
• Death rather higher among Catholics (death rates
  per 1,000 of 2.5 vs. 1.9).
• Majority killed by paramilitaries (87 of total,
  59 by Republicans and 28 by Loyalists) while
  the security forces killed 11.
• 40 to 50,00 physically injured.
• Each fatality is a heavy stone dropped into a
  pool of water, with ripples extending far and
  wide. (Bloomfield, 1998).

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Further Costs

• Segregation
• Residential
• Over 50 of the population live in areas where
  90 of the population are their co-religionists.
• Educational.
• Parallel Schools systems, 96 of children
  attended segregated schools in 2001.
• Parallel learning experiences.
• Friendship and Marriage.
• In 1968 5 mixed marriages, in 2000 the rate is
  8.
• Employment.
• Equal opportunities Legislation
• Sport Leisure.
• Football teams, sports, pubs, shops etc.

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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
• Fuelled by role taking opportunities
• Selective Process
• Moral Ceiling

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Design Study 1
Ferguson, N. Cairns, E. (1996). Political
violence and moral maturity in Northern Ireland.
Political Psychology, 17, no. 4,713-725.
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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
Ferguson, N. Cairns, E. (2002). The Impact of
Political Conflict on Moral Maturity A
Cross-national Perspective. Journal of
Adolescence, 24 , 5, 441-451.
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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

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Readings

• Hargie, O., Dickson, D. (2004) Researching the
  troubles Social Science Perspectives on the
  Northern Ireland Conflict. Edinburgh Mainstream.
• Ferguson, N. (1999). The Effects of 30 Years of
  Political Violence on the Construction of Ethnic
  Identity and Inter-Community Relations in
  Northern Ireland. Lock Haven International
  Review, 13, 75-91.
• Ferguson, N. Cairns, E. (1996). Political
  violence and moral maturity in Northern Ireland.
  Political Psychology, 17, no. 4,713-725.
• Ferguson, N. Cairns, E. (2002). The Impact of
  Political Conflict on Moral Maturity A
  Cross-national Perspective. Journal of
  Adolescence, 24 , 5, 441-451.