![]() ![]() In addition, these beliefs negate and delegitimize the goals of the other group. ![]() Goals: Societal beliefs about the justness of one's own goals, which, first of all, outline the goals in conflict, indicate their crucial importance and provide their explanations and rationales. Both narratives share similar themes (Bar-Tal, 1998, 2000). The narrative of the ethos of conflict is supported by society's collective memory. They therefore develop an "ethos of conflict," which provides a clear picture of the conflict, its goals, its conditions, requirements, and images of one's own group and of the rival. Under prolonged conditions of intractable conflict, when violent experiences are common collective experiences, the conflict comes to preoccupy most members of the society. The beliefs which make up a society's ethos evolve from the conditions under which the society lives over a long period of time, and the particular collective experiences that shape the society during this period. They provide a sense of similarity and thus constitute one of the contextual bases of social identity. These beliefs are widely shared by society members, appear as central topics on the public agenda, are frequently discussed in public discourse, are expressed in cultural products, are transmitted in educational system, serve as relevant references in decisions made by the leaders, and influence the choices regarding courses of action. The societal beliefs which make up the ethos are typically organized around several themes: one's goals, one's identity, one's role in society, etc. The ethos, along with the goals and aspirations, is what binds the members of society together, gives meaning to societal life, imparts legitimacy to social order and fosters integration among society members (see, e.g., McClosky & Zaller, 1984). The concept "ethos" is defined as the configuration of central societal shared beliefs that provide a particular dominant orientation to a society (Bar-Tal, 2000). Here he explains the idea of the "conflict ethos" which is the thought process and worldview which is formed when people become trapped in intractable conflicts, and which then creates a viscious cycle by trapping them further. ![]() This is the second of four articles contributed to BI by Dan Bar-Tal, a leading social psychologist of conflict. ![]()
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