Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Theories of Ethnocentrism and Their Implications for Peacebuilding

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Peace Psychology in the Balkans

Part of the book series: Peace Psychology Book Series ((PPBS))

Abstract

It is impossible to understand the causes of ethnic conflicts, such as those in ex-Yugoslavia, without understanding the causes of ethnocentrism. This is one of the reasons why ethnocentrism has been studied widely by social scientists and is considered to be a fundamental concept. Nevertheless, a significant problem in the study of ethnocentrism has been a lack of conceptual clarity. Recent work in psychology has attempted to clarify ethnocentrism. It reconceptualized ethnocentrism as a complex multidimensional construct that consists of intergroup expressions of preference, superiority, purity, and exploitativeness, and intragroup expressions of group cohesion and devotion. This chapter applies major theories of ethnocentrism to the proposed reconceptualization. Theories of ethnocentrism can be broadly categorized according to what they perceive to be the main cause of ethnocentrism. These are threat perceptions, the need for self-aggrandizement, preference for those who are similar over those who are different, proneness to cognitive simplicity, broad social factors, such as social norms and representations, and evolutionary factors. This chapter shows how understanding ethnocentrism and its causes may help peace psychologists further understand ethnocentrism and ethnic conflict in ex-Yugoslavia and also help them build a long-lasting peace in the region.

*I would like to thank John Duckitt for his very useful comments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Aboud, F. E. (1988). Children and prejudice. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Adorno, T. W., Frenkel-Brunswik, E., Levinson, P. J., & Sanford, R. N. (1950). The authoritarian personality. New York: Harper & Brothers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allport, G. W. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Altemeyer, B. (1998). The other “authoritarian personality”. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 30, pp. 47–92). San Diego, CA: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, E. (1962). The birth and death of meaning. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennet, C. (1995). Yugoslavia’s bloody collapse: Cause, course and consequences. New York: New York University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bettelheim, B. (1947). Individual and mass behavior in extreme situations. In T. M. Newcomb & E. L. Hartley (Eds.), Readings in social psychology (pp. 628–638). New York: Henry Holt.

    Google Scholar 

  • Billiet, J., Maddens, B., & Beerten, R. (2003). National identity and attitude toward foreigners in a multinational state: A replication. Political Psychology, 24, 241–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Billig, M., & Tajfel, H. (1973). Social categorization and similarity in intergroup behaviour. European Journal of Social Psychology, 3, 27–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bizumic, B., & Duckitt, J. (2007). Varieties of group self-centredness and dislike of the specific other. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 29, 195–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bizumic, B., & Duckitt, J. (2008). “My group is not worthy of me”: Narcissism and ethnocentrism. Political Psychology, 29, 437–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bizumic, B., & Duckitt, J. (in press). What is and is not ethnocentrism? A conceptual analysis and political implications. Political Psychology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bizumic, B., Duckitt, J., Popadic, D., Dru, V., & Krauss, S. (2009). A cross-cultural investigation into a reconceptualization of ethnocentrism. European Journal of Social Psychology, 39, 871–899.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bizumic, B., Smithson, M., & Van Rooy, D. (2010, July). Reconceptualized ethnocentrism and its consequences. Paper presented at the thirty-third annual scientific meeting of the international society of political psychology in San Francisco, CA, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brewer, M. B. (1991). The social self: On being the same and different at the same time. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 17, 475–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brewer, M. B. (1999). The psychology of prejudice: Ingroup love or outgroup hate. Journal of Social Issues, 55, 429–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Budner, S. (1962). Intolerance of ambiguity as a personality variable. Journal of Personality, 30, 29–50.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Castano, E., Yzerbyt, V., Paladino, M. P., & Sacchi, S. (2002). I belong therefore I exist: Ingroup identification, ingroup entitativity, and ingroup bias. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 135–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christie, D. J. (1997). Reducing direct and structural violence: The human needs theory. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 3, 315–332.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christie, D. J., Tint, B. S., Wagner, R. V., & Winter, D. D. (2008). Peace psychology for a peaceful world. American Psychologist, 63, 540–552.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Darwin, C. (1879). The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex (2nd ed.). London: John Murray.

    Google Scholar 

  • Djilas, A. (2005). Najteze pitanje. Beograd, Srbija: Artist.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duckitt, J. (1992). The social psychology of prejudice. New York: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duckitt, J. (2001). A dual-process cognitive-motivational model of prejudice. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 33, pp. 41–113). San Diego, CA: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duckitt, J., Bizumic, B., Krauss, S. W., & Heled, E. (2010). A tripartite approach to right-wing authoritarianism: The authoritarianism-conservatism-traditionalism model. Political Psychology, 31, 685–715.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duckitt, J., & Fisher, K. (2003). The impact of social threat of worldview and ideological attitudes. Political Psychology, 24, 199–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duckitt, J., & Sibley, C. G. (2010). Personality, ideology, prejudice, and politics: A dual-process motivational model. Journal of Personality, 78, 1861–1894.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gagnon, V. J. (2004). The myth of ethnic war: Serbia and Croatia in the 1990s. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galtung, J. (1964). An editorial. Journal of Peace Research, 1, 1–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galtung, J. (1985). Twenty-five years of peace research: Ten challenges and some responses. Journal of Peace Research, 22, 141–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glenny, M. (2001). The Yugoslav catastrophe. In D. Chirot & M. E. P. Seligman (Eds.), Ethnopolitical warfare: Causes, consequences, and possible solutions (pp. 151–161). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, J., Solomon, S., Veeder, M., Pyszczynski, T., Rosenblatt, A., Kirkland, S., & Lyon, D. (1990). Evidence for terror management theory II. The effects of mortality salience on reactions to those who threaten or bolster the cultural worldview. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 308–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harding, J., Proshansky, H., Kutner, B., & Chein, I. (1969). Prejudice and ethnic relations. In G. Lindzey & E. Aronson (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (2nd ed., Vol. 5, pp. 1–76). Reading, MA: Addison Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Insko, C. A., Nacoste, R. W., & Moe, J. L. (1983). Belief congruence and racial discrimination: Review of the evidence and critical evaluation. European Journal of Social Psychology, 13, 153–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keith, A. (1949). A new theory of human evolution. New York: Philosophical Library.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kruglanski, A. W., & Webster, D. M. (1996). Motivated closing of the mind: “Seizing” and “freezing. Psychological Review, 103, 263–283.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kunovich, R. M., & Hodson, R. (2002). Ethnic diversity, segregation, and inequality: A structural model of ethnic prejudice in Bosnia and Croatia. The Sociological Quarterly, 43, 185–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lanternari, V. (1980). Ethnocentrism and ideology. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 3, 52–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leonardelli, G. J., & Brewer, M. B. (2001). Minority and majority discrimination: When and why. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 37, 468–485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LeVine, R. A., & Campbell, D. T. (1972). Ethnocentrism: Theories of conflict, ethnic attitudes, and group behavior. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewin, K. (1948). Resolving social conflicts: Selected papers on group dynamics. New York: Harper and Brothers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maddens, B., Billiet, J., & Beerten, R. (2000). National identity and the attitude towards foreigners in multi-national states: The case of Belgium. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 26, 45–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marx, K., & Engels, F. (1970). The German ideology (C. J. Arthur, Trans.). London: Lawrence & Wishart. (Original work published 1845–1846).

    Google Scholar 

  • McGee, W. J. (1900). Primitive numbers. Annual report of the Bureau of American Ethnology (1897–1898), 19, 825–851.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills, C. W. (1956). The power elite. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Minard, R. D. (1952). Race relationships in the Pocahontas coal filed. Journal of Social Issues, 8, 29–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mosca, G. (1939). The ruling class (H. D. Kahn, Trans.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moscovici, S. (1973). Foreword. In C. Herzlich (Ed.), Health and illness: A social psychological analysis. London: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mueller, J. (2000). The banality of “ethnic war”. International Security, 25, 42–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neuberg, S. L., & Newsome, J. T. (1993). Personal need for structure: Individual differences in the desire for simpler structure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 113–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oberschall, A. (2000). The manipulation of ethnicity: From ethnic cooperation to violence and war in Yugoslavia. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 23, 982–1001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pareto, V. (1935). The mind and society (A. Bongiorno & A. Livingston, Trans.). London: Jonathan Cape.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pesic, V. (1993). The cruel face of nationalism. Journal of Democracy, 4, 100–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pettigrew, T. W. (1958). Personality and sociocultural factors in intergroup attitudes: A cross-national comparison. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2, 29–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pettigrew, T. F. (1991). Normative theory in intergroup relations: Explaining both harmony and conflict. Psychology and Developing Societies, 3, 3–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pettigrew, T. F., & Tropp, L. R. (2000). Does intergroup contact reduce prejudice? Recent meta-analytic findings. In S. Oskamp (Ed.), Reducing prejudice and discrimination (pp. 93–114). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratto, F. (1999). The puzzle of continuing group inequality: Placing together psychological, social, and cultural forces in social dominance theory. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 31, pp. 191–263). San Diego, CA: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pyszczynski, T., Greenberg, J., Koole, S., & Solomon, S. (2010). Experimental existential psychology: Coping with the facts of life. In S. T. Fiske, D. T. Gilbert, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology (5th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 724–757). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rokeach, M. (1960). The open and closed mind. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, M. H. (1991). The role of evolution in ethnocentric conflict and its management. Journal of Social Issues, 47, 167–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sales, S. M. (1973). Threat as a factor in authoritarianism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 28, 44–57.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sekulic, D. (2004). Civic and ethnic identity: The case of Croatia. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 27, 455–483.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherif, M. (1966). In common predicament: Social psychology of intergroup conflict and cooperation. Boston: Haughton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherif, M. (1973). The psychology of social norms. New York: Octagon Books (Original work published 1936).

    Google Scholar 

  • Shah, J. Y., Kruglanski, A. W., & Thompson, E. P. (1998). Membership has its (epistemic) rewards: Need for closure effects on intergroup favoritism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 383–393.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sidanius, J., & Pratto, F. (1999). Social dominance: An intergroup theory of social hierarchy and oppression. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverman, B. I. (1974). Consequences, racial discrimination, and the principle of belief congruence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 29, 497–508.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, R., Choo, W. M., & Poh, L. L. (1998). In-group bias and fair-mindedness as strategies of self-presentation in intergroup perception. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 147–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, A. D. (2001). Nationalism: Theory, ideology, history. Cambridge, UK: Polity.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, M. B. (1992). Nationalism, ethnocentrism, and the new world order. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 32, 76–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spencer, H. (1892). The principles of ethics (Vol. 1). London: Williams and Norgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stangor, C., & Thompson, E. P. (2002). Needs for cognitive economy and self-enhancement as unique predictors of intergroup attitudes. European Journal of Social Psychology, 32, 563–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephan, W. G., & Stephan, C. W. (1984). The role of ignorance in intergroup relations. In N. Miller & M. B. Brewer (Eds.), Groups in contact: The psychology of desegregation (pp. 229–255). Orlando: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sumner, W. G. (1906). Folkways. Boston: Ginn and Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sumner, W. G. (1911). War and other essays. Freeport: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sumner, W. G., Keller, A. G., & Davie, M. R. (1928). The science of society. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H. (1981). Human groups and social categories: Studies in social psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H. (1982). Social psychology of intergroup relations. Annual Review of Psychology, 33, 1–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In S. Worchel & W. G. Austin (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33–47). Monterey, CA: Brooks-Cole.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, J. C. (1981). The experimental social psychology of intergroup behaviour. In J. C. Turner & H. Giles (Eds.), Intergroup behaviour. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, J. C. (1999). Some current issues in research on social identity and self-categorization theories. In N. Ellemers, R. Spears, & B. Doosje (Eds.), Social identity context, commitment, content (pp. 6–34). Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, J. C., Hogg, M. A., Oakes, P. J., Reicher, S. D., & Wetherell, M. S. (1987). Rediscovering the social group: A self-categorization theory. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van den Berghe, P. L. (1978). Race and ethnicity: A sociobiological perspective. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 1, 401–411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van den Berghe, P. L. (1995). Does race matter? Nations and Nationalism, 1, 357–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Dijk, T. A. (1993). Elite discourse and racism. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The Australian National University, ACT, 0200, Canberra, Australia

    Boris Bizumić

Authors
  1. Boris Bizumić
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Boris Bizumić .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Griffith University, Griffith Law School, Gold Coast, 4222, Queensland, Australia

    Olivera Simić

  2. , School of Journalism and Communication, University of Queensland, --, Brisbane, 4072, Australia

    Zala Volčič

  3. , School of Psychology, University of Queensland, McElwain Building, St. Lucia, 4072, Queensland, Australia

    Catherine R. Philpot

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Bizumić, B. (2012). Theories of Ethnocentrism and Their Implications for Peacebuilding. In: Simić, O., Volčič, Z., Philpot, C. (eds) Peace Psychology in the Balkans. Peace Psychology Book Series. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1948-8_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation