The Psychology of Group Conflict

Politico has an article laying out the psychology underlying the Sunni-Shia conflict raging in Syria and Iraq. In truth, it's a decent primer on the psychology of intergroup relations generally, and can be applied to conflict between liberals and conservatives, blacks and Hispanics, men and women, or (insert here any two groups in conflict).

Author David Myers list four basic psychological truths that drive all intergroup conflict:

1) No matter our similarities with others, our attention focuses on differences.
2) We naturally divide our worlds into “us” and “them,” ingroup and out group.
3) Discussion among those of like mind often produces “group polarization.”
4) Group solidarity soars when facing a common enemy.

Presumably this human characteristic has had survival value for most of our evolutionary history. Some will disagree with my notion that it still has such value.