Emotions and Emotion Regulation in Intractable Conflict and Their Relation to the Ethos of Conflict in Israeli Society

Abstract

People living in intractable conflicts tend to adopt a rigid Ethos of Conflict (EOC), guiding their everyday attitudes and behaviors with regard to the conflict. Group-based emotions, as potent motivators, may account for much of the influence the EOC has on such reactions to intermittent events and information. Furthermore, because emotions are both powerful and changeable, in their regulation they may also constitute an important key to overcoming barriers to conflict resolution. Therefore, it is important to first of all understand emotional processes fully so as to understand the psychology of life in conflict. Nonetheless, it is even more important to understand how these processes are shaped by the EOC, an overarching ideological belief system pervasive within societies in conflict and a central element of this unique context. The present chapter focuses on emotions and emotion regulation and their appearance in Israeli society and proposes how Daniel Bar-Tal’s notion of an EOC may shape emotions and their regulation. Specifically, we examine three important ways in which the EOC may impact these emotional processes in intractable conflict: by shaping the emotions Israelis experience, by shaping the political outcomes of these emotions, and by guiding Israelis’ attempts to regulate the emotions they experience in light of the conflict.