Impact of Conflict on Mental Health in Northern Ireland: The Mediating Role of Intergroup Forgiveness and Collective Guilt

Abstract

The aim of the present research was to investigate the mediating role of group-level forgiveness and guilt in the relationship between victimhood (the extent to which the conflict affected an individual's life), exposure to violence (the level of violence in their area of residence), and group identity on the one hand, and mild psychiatric morbidity on the other. Specifically the study focused on the psychological impact of the ethnopolitical conflict in Northern Ireland, utilizing people's identification with either the Catholic or Protestant community. Our results revealed that intergroup forgiveness mediated the relationship between both victimhood and group identification, as predictors, and mild psychiatric morbidity. Collective guilt, on the other hand, mediated the relationship between both exposure to violence and group identification, as predictors, and intergroup forgiveness. Overall this study shows that forgiveness and collective guilt can act as mediators in the relationship between impact of ethnopolitical conflict and mental health, at the group level, and thus demonstrates their centrality to the reconciliation process. Implications for intergroup reconciliation initiatives in Northern Ireland are discussed.

Collective Guilt: Antecedets, Outcomes, and Ways of Avoding

“…Açıklamalar belirsiz olduğunda ise kendi grubuyla daha yüksek derecede özdeşleşenlerin daha az özdeşleşenlere oranla telafi etmeye yönelik eğilimleri daha da az gözlenmiştir. Kolektif suçluluğun genellikle kendi grubuyla düşük düzeyde özdeşleşen bireylerde daha fazla gözlendiğini gösteren çalışmalarla tutarlı olarak (örn., Myers, Hewstone ve Cairns, 2009), dış grubun zararını karşılama olanağı verildiğinde kendi iç grubuyla çok fazla özdeşleşenlere oranla daha az özdeşleşenlerin bu zararı ödeme olanağını daha fazla kullandıkları sonucuna ulaşılmıştır (Doosje ve ark., 2006;Klein ve ark., 2011). Zararı telafi etme ile hissedilen duyguların yoğunluğu konusunu inceleyen çalışmalar zararın telafi edilmesindeki zorluğun kolektif suçluluktan kaçınılmasına neden olduğunu ve kolektif suçluluğun yoğunluğunu etkilediğini bulmuşlardır (Schmitt ve ark., 2008).…”

Suffering need not beget suffering: why we forgive

“…To illustrate, in the context of the Northern Irish conflict between Protestants and Catholics, researchers have found intergroup forgiveness mediates the relationship between both perceptions of victimhood (how the ingroup was affected by the conflict) and group identification as predictors, and the conflict-related psychiatric morbidity, as an outcome variable [40]. Similarly, among Israeli participants, forgiveness has been shown to facilitate the link between their trust in Palestinians and perceptions of inclusive victimhood (acknowledging the outgroup has suffered as well due to the conflict) as predictors, and their willingness to reconcile with Palestinians [41].…”

When group members forgive: Antecedents and consequences

“…For example, Myers, Hewstone and Cairns (2009), in a study conducted among Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, tested the association between personal victimhood (the extent to which the sectarian conflict had affected an individual's life) and mild psychiatric morbidity was mediated by the degree to which participants had forgiven the transgressing group. Although having personally suffered as a result of the conflict was associated with decreased well-being, willingness to forgive the outgroup alleviated this negative effect.…”