Promoting the Middle East Peace Process by Changing Beliefs About Group Malleability

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 333; no. 6050; pp. 1767 - 1769
• Main Authors: Halperin, Eran, Russell, Alexandra G., Trzesniewski, Kali H., Gross, James J., Dweck, Carol S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 23.09.2011; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Arab Israeli relations; Arabs; Attitude; attitudes and opinions; Banks; Belief & doubt; Beliefs; Conflict management; Consensus; Cultural relations; Culture; Female; Humans; International Cooperation; Israel; Israeli Jews; Jews; Jews - psychology; Male; Malleability; Mediation; Middle Aged; Middle East; Negotiating; Peace negotiations; Peacefulness; Political attitudes; Political behaviour; Political ideologies; Political sociology; Positive Attitudes; Sociology; West Bank; Middle East; Israel; West Bank; Peace; Group; Attitude towards; Behaviour; Palestinian
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1202925

Four studies showed that beliefs about whether groups have a malleable versus fixed nature affected intergroup attitudes and willingness to compromise for peace. Using a nationwide sample (N = 500) of Israeli Jews, the first study showed that a belief that groups were malleable predicted positive attitudes toward Palestinians, which in turn predicted willingness to compromise. In the remaining three studies, experimentally inducing malleable versus fixed beliefs about groups among Israeli Jews (N = 76), Palestinian citizens of Israel (N = 59), and Palestinians in the West Bank (N = 53)—without mentioning the adversary—led to more positive attitudes toward the outgroup and, in turn, increased willingness to compromise for peace.