Newswise — Direct displays of respect can reduce conflict in protests in the Middle East, where a premium is placed on honor. Such displays enable people in potentially volatile crowd situations to accrue honor while avoiding risks associated with violent confrontation.

These conclusions are based on findings from interviews and surveys conducted in the U.S. and Beirut, Lebanon about actual crowd experiences and expectations in the Middle East. Dr. Winston Sieck of Global Cognition led the studies, reported in Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression.

The findings of the research may help with the interpretation of some events in the Arab Spring. For example, they indicate that respectful, affirming gestures between protestors and security members that occurred in some countries, such as giving flowers, sharing water and taking pictures, were extremely important in fostering (relatively) peaceful protests. Such small moments occurred several times in between fighting early on in the Egyptian protests.

Dr. Sieck and his research team tested a theory of crowd behavior that implies crowd members are rational decision-makers focused on shared goals, as compared with alternative notions that crowd membership causes people to act irrationally, typically resulting in mindless violence. The researchers also tested the specific hypothesis that honor tends to weigh heavily in the decision processes of Middle Eastern crowd members.

Honor is regarded as a fundamental cultural value in the Middle East and Central Asia. Crowd membership creates an opportunity to prove oneself in a highly-visible situation, and thereby accrue a great deal of honor. The amount of honor gained increases with the extent of risk to physical safety, such as by crowd members aggressively confronting heavily armed security forces who take an adversarial position. Rational decision-making combined with the value of honor implies that direct displays of respect towards crowd members can reduce tension and prevent violence. In such situations, crowd members are provided with the opportunity to gain honor without having to trade-off physical risk to themselves.

In one study, Sieck and his colleagues interviewed Middle Eastern crowd members and security forces to test assumptions of the theory. Their results showed that Middle Eastern crowd members made clear assessments of risk and reward, and exhibited goal-directed behavior indicating a rational decision process. The crowd members were nevertheless willing to accept considerable risk of physical harm to achieve the goals shared by the crowd.

The results further revealed important linkages between peoples’ understanding of the social relations and the actions they considered appropriate. “We found that Middle Eastern crowd members and security forces actively discussed and debated the nature of their relationship, such as whether the security members were on the scene to protect civilians and whether they opposed the group’s cause. In these cases, the crowd members decided on appropriate actions depending on how the debate turned out,” says Sieck.

The researchers also analyzed the crowd reactions quantitatively, finding that escalation of force against Middle Eastern crowds inflamed them more often than not, whereas attempts to understand and communicate with crowds or exhibit restraint tended to decrease conflict. “This doesn’t mean that the crowds gave up on their goals,” says Sieck, “only that they pursued them in a more peaceful manner.”

A second study using surveys showed that Americans and Middle Easterners have different beliefs and expectations about ways in which crowds will react to security forces. Americans felt that security force efforts to communicate with crowds would likely have no effect on reducing violence and destruction. In contrast, Arabs expected that security force communication with crowd members could indeed serve to reduce violence and aggression.

The Middle Eastern experiences and beliefs were consistent with rational decisions that place a premium on honor. American expectations suggested a different frame of reference with less sensitivity to honor. According to Sieck, “It is possible that the behavior of protestors in the West is more scripted and so less sensitive to signs of respect, though the idea requires further investigation.”

Global Cognition is a cognitive science research organization located in Yellow Springs, OH. GC conducts basic and applied research with the aim of aiding individuals and organizations understand and interact with the diverse ideas and people they encounter across the world. GC’s facebook page shares short notes, tips, and answers questions about how the mind works, and ways it can function better.

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CITATIONS

Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression