Social identity and the ideology in intergroup conflict: the case of Northern Ireland
type: CreativeWork
description: The aim of this thesis was to investigate the role played by Social Psychological factors in the continuing conflict in Northern Ireland. The study concentrated on the role of social identity and the interplay between competing social identities. The thesis can be divided into three sections: an historical investigation of the background to the conflict sought to trace some of the factors in the development and reproduction of contemporary social identities; a series of experimental studies, based on Tajfel's Social Identity Theory, examined the intergroup behaviour of subjects forced to choose between different identity polarities relevant to the conflict; finally, a content analysis of political party newspapers and a series of recorded interviews with political activists sought to examine in more detail the agenda and content of perceived identities and ideologies in Northern Ireland. The historical investigation seemed to suggest that there never was a unitary 'imagined community' in the island of Ireland. It was suggested that religion and culture had, for many years, provided a basis for division on the island and that this had been exacerbated by a differential pattern of economic development between Belfast and its hinterland, and the rest of the island. The experimental studies pointed to the plurality of social identity in Northern Ireland. These studies suggested that the identities of the two communities had a differential impact: while the identities of the minority community (Irish, Nationalist, Catholic) seemed to share an essential unity, those of the majority community (British, Unionist, Protestant) seemed to be psychologically separable. The examination of ideology seemed to reinforce this finding: while the content analysis of the party newspapers was primarily concerned with the political agenda of the various groups examined, it did point to a range of suggested futures within the political groups of the majority community. The interview data p…
abstract: The aim of this thesis was to investigate the role played by Social Psychological factors in the continuing conflict in Northern Ireland. The study concentrated on the role of social identity and the interplay between competing social identities. The thesis can be divided into three sections: an historical investigation of the background to the conflict sought to trace some of the factors in the development and reproduction of contemporary social identities; a series of experimental studies, based on Tajfel's Social Identity Theory, examined the intergroup behaviour of subjects forced to choose between different identity polarities relevant to the conflict; finally, a content analysis of political party newspapers and a series of recorded interviews with political activists sought to examine in more detail the agenda and content of perceived identities and ideologies in Northern Ireland. The historical investigation seemed to suggest that there never was a unitary 'imagined community' in the island of Ireland. It was suggested that religion and culture had, for many years, provided a basis for division on the island and that this had been exacerbated by a differential pattern of economic development between Belfast and its hinterland, and the rest of the island. The experimental studies pointed to the plurality of social identity in Northern Ireland. These studies suggested that the identities of the two communities had a differential impact: while the identities of the minority community (Irish, Nationalist, Catholic) seemed to share an essential unity, those of the majority community (British, Unionist, Protestant) seemed to be psychologically separable. The examination of ideology seemed to reinforce this finding: while the content analysis of the party newspapers was primarily concerned with the political agenda of the various groups examined, it did point to a range of suggested futures within the political groups of the majority community. The interview data p…
author: Gallagher, Anthony
language: eng
date published: 1986
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:55:05Z
provider: Queen's University Belfast
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Queen's University Belfast