Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science: The Effect of Anger and Sadness on Vengeance: A Laboratory in the Field Experiment in East Jerusalem

New York University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

This research project tackles a question of central scholarly and policy importance: how do emotions--particularly anger--affect individuals' decisions about conflict and vengeance? Recent work in psychology, political science, and economics has shown that emotions influence both political and economic decisions. Conflict is one particular area that has puzzled researchers and policymakers alike. The question remains: why do individuals, groups, and nations choose to engage in violent, costly conflict, when conceivably, a peaceful agreement could yield a preferred outcome for both parties? Some scholars believe that religious and cultural differences explain most modern-day conflicts. Yet such research does not adequately address why individual motives vary within and across conflicts; it also tends to treat emotions as irrational urges. This project seeks to overcome the shortcomings of extant work and provide a novel, rigorous framework for studying the impact of anger and sadness on vengeance. Given the emotions surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict and its perceived intractability, it represents an important case to explore how anger influences vengeful behavior. This project will examine two Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem that have been affected to varying degrees by settlement activity and house demolitions. The investigator will recruit roughly 72 Palestinian subjects in each city over the age of 28 (that is, of voting age since the beginning of the Second Intifada) who will participate in a decision-making experiment at a local community center. Subjects will be randomly partnered and informed of a pending Jewish settlement in their community. They will then be randomly assigned to a treatment that asks them to describe what makes them most angry or sad about the settlement. Of key interest is how anger relative to sadness influences subjects' decisions on hypothetical allocations of varying amounts of money to the supposed "punishment" of their partner. If subjects only care about how much money they earn, they should not "pay for vengeance." This project builds on the researcher's July 2010 experiments in the Southern District Israeli communities affected to varying degrees by rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. The experiment used a similar protocol and emotional treatment. Preliminary findings suggest that anger and sadness have opposing effects on the decision to "pay for vengeance:" in the community most affected by rocket fire, anger decreased punishment, whereas in the less affected community, anger increased punishment. This project not only speaks to scholarly debates on the sources of vengeful behavior but also makes several broader contributions. The role that emotions play in conflict has mostly been explored at the survey level in international relations, or in the dispassionate setting of a laboratory in campuses in U.S. universities. This project seeks to bring the control of a laboratory experiment to a population and policy question of great importance. Both settlements and house demolitions in East Jerusalem are viewed within the Palestinian community, and by many members of the international community, as a major obstacle to peace. This study will help policymakers and academics better understand the emotional and behavioral effects of the settlements and demolitions on the Palestinian community. Finally, the project enhances general understanding of how violence against a civilian population influences emotions and grievances in order to foster stability and development.