A Model of Escalation in Social Exchange

University Of Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

This research project concerns the escalation of conflict. Small insults can lead to larger insults, escalating back and forth from minor events into major tragedies. In the nineties, for instance, rivalry between the East-Coast and West-Coast hip hop scenes started with a "diss track," a song that disparaged rappers from the other "scene," and escalated by the end of the decade to several unsolved murders. Child-custody disagreements between divorcing parents often escalate to major legal battles that traumatize the children, deplete the financial resources of the parties, and damage their mental and physical health. Escalation in social exchange is common and central to many interpersonal, intergroup, and international conflicts. It also presents a significant physical and mental health risk to members of society, not only by the direct acts of aggression and violence between individuals and groups, but also by the physiological distress it creates. This research project has two broad goals: First, the project is dedicated to understanding the psychological causes behind negative escalation, the factors that exacerbate it and the situations that nurture such escalation. Second, the project will use the deeper understanding of the causes of escalation to identify novel ways to prevent and defuse conflict escalation. The project develops a theory of social action that explains why negative exchange escalates. It assumes that actors and reactors perceive the same action systematically differently, and that this difference leads directly to escalation. The theory also suggests novel ways that the vicious cycle of negative escalation could be broken. The researchers will test the theory in eight experiments, each of which should provide different insights about way to defuse escalation. This research project promises substantial benefits to society. The quality of social relationships is central to physical and mental health, with escalating conflict serving as a major social stressor. Escalation occurs at all levels of social organization, from individuals to international acts of aggression in reaction to a perceived offense. The research project is therefore likely to have substantial scientific impact, as well as significant implications for the welfare of individuals and society.