Ep. 35 - Eran Halperin: Emotions in the Israel-Palestine Conflict

This episode was recorded 3 months before the tragic events of October 7th.

Join me for an eye-opening podcast episode with Prof. Eran Halperin, as we dive into the realm of emotions within intergroup conflicts. Eran's extensive research illuminates how emotions drive and shape conflict dynamics, exploring the profound impact of emotions such as hatred, anger, fear, hope, despair, guilt, and empathy in these contentious conflicts.

We discuss the power of emotions as engines of human behavior within social contexts, and their influence on decision-making processes both at the government level and among the public. Eran illustrates the unique nature of discrete intergroup emotions and their concrete implications for conflict resolution dynamics. We shed light on the potential for emotional change and its capacity to transform political processes, emphasizing the need for understanding and managing collective emotional climates.

Throughout our conversation, we unravel the complexities of emotions like hatred, anger, fear, hope, despair, guilt, and empathy, exploring their destructive and constructive roles in conflicts. From the chronic nature of fear to the contrasting effects of hope and despair, we examine how these emotions perpetuate conflicts and hinder reconciliation efforts.

Eran's insights offer a glimmer of hope, revealing that the majority of both Jews and Arabs in Israel oppose violence. As we conclude, we delve into potential pathways for meaningful change through emotion regulation, drawing from Eran's research to understand how altering the collective emotional climate could pave the way for reconciliation between conflicting groups.

Eran Halperin is a professor of social psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with expertise in peace and conflict studies. His research focuses on the role of emotions in intergroup conflicts, offering valuable insights into the dynamics that influence decision-making processes and conflict resolution strategies.

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