I SEE! Scotland: Tackling Sectarianism and Promoting Community Psychosocial Health

Abstract

. For over a decade, Eolene has developed and evaluated cognitive complexity interventions to reduce and prevent destructive conflict through participatory research and end-user partnerships in diverse communities, using the cross-culturally validated measure, integrative complexity (IC) (Suedfeld and Tetlock, 2014 AbstractWe developed and tested through two studies a new intervention run as a course, I SEE! Scotland, to reduce and prevent Protestant-Catholic sectarianism in Scotland, a historic intergroup conflict expressed in forms ranging from polite to violent, within a wider population that includes those who feel untouched. Designed to reflect the social ecology of Scotland and engage individuals regardless of sectarian involvement, the intervention aimed to increase cognitive complexity, measured as integrative complexity, through participatory theatre and experiential methods. We hypothesised that the confluence of experiential learning to support multiple forms of self, other, and systems awareness with narrative framing would increase integrative complexity management capacities. Tested with a diverse sample of 104 participants (secondary school staff; achieving, disruptive or vulnerable students; young adults returning to education; other professionals; prisoners; recovering drug addicts; unemployed), study one pre-post comparisons showed significant integrative complexity gains that cohered with second end of intervention integrative complexity measures, replicating results from other integrative complexity interventions despite differences in samples, conflicts, and context. Study two with twenty-eight of the one hundred and four participants showed significant pre post increases in resilience. These results predict peaceful outcomes to intergroup conflict, tackling sectarianism and promoting community psychosocial health. We note future research plans.

Increasing cognitive complexity and meta-awareness among at-risk youth in Bosnia-Herzegovina in order to reduce risk of extremism and interethnic tension.

“…Taken together, these results indicated that the course achieved its core goals, increasing participants' cognitive complexity, empathy, and resilience to build social cohesion and reduce the risk of extremism and interethnic tension. At the time of writing, the IC Thinking research group had assessed 83 similar IC interventions in nine countries, developed for each country context to address a range of extreme mindsets (Boyd-MacMillan, 2016;Boyd-MacMillan et al, 2016;Liht & Savage, 2013;Nemr & Savage, 2019;Savage et al, 2014Savage et al, , 2020. Results for these IC interventions show consistent significant gains in IC across sectarianism, extremisms, theological and intergroup conflict, cultural contexts, and participants from diverse educational backgrounds.…”

Addressing social polarization through critical thinking: Theoretical application in the “Living Well With Difference” course in secondary schools in England

“…Overall, results from 103 assessed courses designed to increase cognitive complexity each show significant IC gain, including courses run in secondary schools in Scotland, Finland and Pakistan (reviewed in Boyd-MacMillan et al, 2016;Nemr & Savage, 2019;Peracha, Savage, Khan, Ayub, & Zahr, forthcoming). This body of research, leveraging and measuring IC, has been delivered across 10 countries to address a range of extremisms (Islamist, right wing, left wing, sectarianism, national separatism, and inter-group conflicts), showing cross-cultural replication, with each course adapted to context, using a process similar to the A, B, C, D stages described above (Boyd-MacMillan et al, 2016;Liht & Savage, 2013;Nemr & Savage, 2019;Peracha et al, forthcoming;Savage & Andrews Fearon, 2021;Savage, Liht, & Khan, 2014). Of this, LWWD is the first critical thinking course designed to increase cognitive complexity to address social polarisations or extreme thinking of any kind in secondary schools in England.…”

“…Each of the four cumulative sessions follows a four-stage A, B, C, D pattern (with A and B stages usually of equal duration to C and D stages) which developed through piloting the method over years in different contexts (Boyd-MacMillan, Andrews Fearon, Ptolomey, & Mathieson, 2016;Liht & Savage, 2013;Savage & Andrews Fearon, 2021). The A, B, C, D pattern is explained below in terms of how attention is shifted between Heart Thinking and Head Thinking through the type of stimuli per task, and later in the session to promote interaction between the two subsystems at higher levels of complexity.…”

An IC Intervention for Post-Conflict Northern Ireland Secondary Schools

“…15 Two studies with one hundred and four participants in Scotland found significant impact with medium to large size effects, alongside significant resilience gains. 16 All total, empirical assessments of fifty out of fifty runs of IC interventions, using pre-post testing, have found significant impact (increases in IC-more deliberate, flexible, open thinking-toward one's own and opposed groups). 17 Due to diversity in demographics and our commitment to action research (both requiring uncomplicated assessment designs with as low a burden for participants as possible), our assessment designs have been relatively simple to date.…”

“…34 These experiences shape imaginations with hope for a future where differences do not prevent collaboration and dysfunctional feedback loops are replaced by intentional loops co-created collaboratively in the face of difference and disagreement. 35 (The time-frame/delivery schedule will be standardised in partnership with our end-user partner schools. )…”