Robin Vallacher
Professor
Department of Psychology
Email: Vallacher@jsxfjn.com
Rethinking Intractable Conflict: The Perspective of Dynamical Systems
Local Acts, Global Consequences: A Dynamic Systems Perspective on Torture
Dynamical Foundations of Intractable Conflict: Introduction to the Special Issue
Dynamical Systems Theory: Applications to Peace and Conflict
Sources of Intergroup Conflict
Research – As a social psychologist (Ph.D., Michigan State University), I conduct research on a wide range of topics, from individual-level processes such as self-concept, self control, social judgment, and personal motivation to group- and societal-level processes such as the emergence of public opinion, social change, social justice, and international conflict. Since 2005, Professor Andrzej Nowak (FAU and Warsaw University) and I have collaborated with colleagues at several institutions in the U.S. (Columbia University, George Mason University, Seton Hall University, University of Maryland) and Europe (University of Munich, Warsaw University) on the application of dynamical social psychology to the investigation of intractable conflict—protracted intergroup and interstate conflicts that seem immune to attempts at resolution. Our collaborative team is multi-disciplinary, with expertise in experimental psychology, organizational psychology, peace studies, formal modeling and computer simulations, and cultural anthropology. Each member of the team brings a unique literature and set of tools for understanding and investigating the dynamics of conflict that progress to intractability. Together, these conceptual orientations and skill sets have proved to be synergistic, fostering new insights and means of cross-checking the results obtained within each paradigm. The results of this collaborative effort to date are substantial. From 2006 to the present, we have published 11 book chapters, 8 journal articles, and a professional-level book (Vallacher et al. [2013]. Attracted to conflict: Dynamic foundations of destructive social relations. Heidelberg: Springer. http://www.springer.com/social+sciences/book/978-3-642-35279-9). We have also organized several workshops and international symposia that have attracted the attention of psychologists, political scientists, and conflict resolution practitioners (NGOs, government envoys and representatives).