The link between values and violence

Humans can be violent for many reasons, but violence based on beliefs and ideologies has particular roots. Research has shown that how you think and how that leads you to feel about yourself and others plays a central role.

Do you see the world in black and white and feel that your perspective is the only valid perspective?

Or...

Are you able to recognise multiple perspectives and feel comfortable in seeing others as having good points and bad points?

These questions relate to what psychologists call "cognitive complexity" and its related construct "integrative complexity".  Research has demonstrated that low integrative complexity, that describes a simple, narrow, categorical way of thinking, is one of the best predictors for whether a conflict will become violent or resolve peacefully. 

The IC Thinking research group has pioneered a series of successful interventions which help people see their world, their allies and members of other diverse groups in more complex ways. We do this through a variety of approaches that cultivate life skills such as meta-awareness, values affirmations, active listening, emotion regulation, and critical thinking.

Interventions have been piloted and assessed in a wide variety of conflict contexts in the United Kingdom, Kenya, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pakistan, and Scandinavia with many other interventions currently in development. Interventions are assessed by measuring changes in integrative complexity, which, as a measure of structure not the content of thinking, is less vulnerable to the biases inherent in measures which rely on self-reporting.

Thus far our results find that participants consistently demonstrate increased cognitive complexity and resilience following the interventions, which means they are less likely to turn to violence, and more equipped to deal with conflict constructively.

Based on these exciting results, we continue to expand the research, development and implementation of IC Thinking interventions in order to improve the lives of participants and prevent violence in fragile conflict contexts.

Research

A selection of previous projects and interventions are listed below.

Sweden 

IC Sweden 
Developed in partnership with the Pluralism and Dialogue Institute (PDI), Fryshuset, the University of Uppsala, and the University of Umeå.

Scotland

I SEE! Scotland
Commissioned and funded by the Scottish Government.

Being Muslim Being Scottish (BMBS) 
Developed in cooperation with Muslim community leaders and scholars and funded by the Scottish Government.

England

Living Well with Difference
Commissioned and funded by the British Red Cross.

Conflict Transformation 
Commissioned by the Foundation for Church Leadership and funded by the Henry Smith Charities.

Being Muslim Being British (BMBB) 
Developed in cooperation with Muslim community leaders and scholars to support young Muslims in Britain. Funded by the European Commission.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo

MoviEQ 
Implemented and funded by the International Organization of Migration (IOM).

Pakistan

IC Pakistan
In cooperation with Pakistan psychologists funded by the Government of The Netherlands.

Kenya

Being Muslim Being Kenyan (BMBK)
Organized by the Kenya Transition Initiative and funded by USAID.

Publications

Selected publications

Andrews Fearon, P. & Boyd-MacMillan, E. (2016). Complexity under stress: Integrative approaches to overdetermined vulnerabilities. Journal of Strategic Security, 9(4), 11-31.

Boyd-MacMillan, E., (2004) ‘Awkward Relations: Should the Field of Spirituality Distance Itself from Theology?’ in The Council of the Societies for the Study of Religion (CSSR) Bulletin, September & November.

Boyd-MacMillan, E., (2004) ‘Loder and Mystical Spirituality: Particularity, Universality, and Knowing’ in eds. D. Wright & J. Kuentzel, Redemptive Transformation in Practical Theology, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans. 

Boyd-MacMillan, E., (2004) ‘More Than Collaboration’ in The Way Special Issue, vol. 43, no. 4, October.

Boyd-MacMillan, E., (2006) Transformation: James Loder, Mystical Spirituality, and James Hillman, Oxford: PeterLang, AG.

Boyd-MacMillan, E. (2009). ‘Vision in the Eye of the Beholder: Translation or Transformation?’ N. van Deusen (Ed.) Dreams and Visions, The Netherlands: Brill Publications.

Boyd-MacMillan, E. (2015). Final report on I SEE! Life Skills for a Changing Scotland project effectiveness empirical evaluation. Submitted to the Scottish Government, 2015, Copyright Scottish Government and ICthinking®.

Boyd-MacMillan, E. (2016). I SEE! Scotland/ IC Thinking End of Year Report 2015-2016 with empirical assessment. Tackling Sectarianism Programme. Submitted to Community Safety Unit, Scottish Government, April, 2016.

Boyd-MacMillan, E. (2016). IC Thinking: Critical thinking and media literacy. Keynote address delivered April, 2016, The Hague. Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science, The Netherlands. Published proceedings. 

Boyd-MacMillan, E. (2016). Increasing cognitive complexity and collaboration across communities: Being Muslim Being Scottish. Journal of Strategic Security, 9(4), 79 -110.

Boyd-MacMillan, E. (2016). Living well in difference and conflict resolution (Moving from polarisation to collaboration). Plenary address delivered September 2016, EU e-Twinning annual gathering, Florence, Italy. Published proceedings. 

Boyd-MacMillan, E. (2016). Experiencing conflict and its social solutions via IC Thinking. Keynote address delivered December, 2016, UK Educational Psychologists Annual Gathering, Manchester. Published proceedings.

Boyd-MacMillan, E. (2016). Report on IC Thinking in Sweden 2nd– 6thApril, 2016. University of Uppsala, Fryshuset, Together for Sweden, Exit, and Ibn Rushd. Submitted 10thApril, 2016.  

Boyd-MacMillan, E. (2017). IC Thinkers are prepared for Digital Citizenship. Keynote address delivered March, 2017. Denmark Learning Festival, Copenhagen. Published proceedings. 

Boyd-MacMillan, E. (2017). The vicious cycle of extremisms and polarisations (keynote). Published proceedings: Local Institutions against violent extremism II (LIASE 2): The rise of polarisation and radicalisation in Europe: Tackling all forms of violent extremism at the local level. European Forum for Urban Security 19th May 2017, Rimini, Italy.

Boyd-MacMillan, E (in press). Brief case study on creating an IC environment to support rather than erode IC learning: Scottish Prison Service. Global Council for Coordinated Security Compendium. New York.

Boyd-MacMillan, E. and Andrews Fearon, P. (2018). Conflict Transformation Pilot at Amport House, Defence Academy of the United Kingdom: Empirical Assessment Results, first submitted April, 2017, revised February, 2018.

Boyd-MacMillan, E., Andrews Fearon, P., Ptolomey, A., & Mathieson, L. (2016). I SEE! Scotland: Tackling sectarianism and promoting community psychosocial health. Journal of Strategic Security, 9(4), 53-78.

Boyd-MacMillan, E., Campbell, C., & Furey, A. (2016). An IC intervention for post-conflict Northern Ireland secondary schools. Journal of Strategic Security, 9(4), 111-124.

Boyd-MacMillan, E., Pellew, S., and Osman, I. (2017). Report to Ealing Borough: IC Thinking and SADC. Submitted May, 2017.

Boyd-MacMillan, E. & Savage, S. (2008). Transforming Conflict: Conflict Transformation Amongst Senior Church Leaders with Different Theological Stances, York: FCL Press.

Boyd-MacMillan, E. & Savage, S (2013). Report on I SEE! Life skills for a changing Scotland course effectiveness empirical evaluation. Submitted to the Community Safety Unit, Scottish Government, 31 March, 2013. Copyright ICthinking®, administered through Cambridge University Technical Services, Ltd., Cambridge Enterprise, Ltd.

Boyd-MacMillan, E. & Savage, S. (2014). Effectiveness (empirical) evaluation report on I SEE! Scotland in Graeme High School, Falkirk. Submitted to Scottish Government, May, 2014.

Boyd-MacMillan, E., Savage, S., & Liht, J. (2013). Conflict Transformation, ICThinking® course report with empirical findings. Submitted to Lifesprings Women International, Zurich.

Boyd-MacMillan, E., Savage, S., & Pellew, S. (2015). Report with empirical assessment on the effectiveness of the Being Muslim Being Scottish (BMBS) Pilot in Aberdeen. Submitted to Scottish Government, June, 2015.    

Hampson, P. & Boyd-MacMillan, E. (2008) ‘Turning the Telescope Around: Reciprocity in Psychology-Theology Dialogue’ in Archive for the Psychology of Religion, 30, 93-113.

Savage, S. and Andrews-Fearon, P. (2021). Increasing cognitive complexity and meta-awareness among at-risk youth in Bosnia-Herzegovina in order to reduce risk of extremism and interethnic tension. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 27(2), 225–239. https://doi.org/10.1037/pac0000557

Savage, S. and Baruch, B. (2021). IC Thinking training for IPs: Final report, unpublished report for the UK Home Office. 

Savage, S. & Boyd-MacMillan, E. (2007) The Human Face of Church: A Social Psychology and Pastoral Theology Resource for Pioneer and Traditional Ministry, London: SCM/ Canterbury Press.

Savage, S. & Boyd-MacMillan, E. (2010). Conflict in Relationships: Understand it, Overcome it, London: Lion Hudson, Plc. (‘popular’ presentation of research for wide audience).

Savage, S., Francar, J. and Perry, K. (In press). Promoting Cognitive Complexity Among Yezidi Youth Impacted by ISIS in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Journal of Strategic Security.

Savage, S., Oliver, E., Gordon, E. and Tutton, L. (2021). Addressing Social Polarization Through Critical Thinking: Theoretical Application in the “Living Well With Difference” Course in Secondary Schools in England. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 9(2), 490–505. https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.7037 

Savage, S., Peracha, F., Khan, R., Zahra, A., Khan, I. and Ayub, A. (2021). ‘My Thinking Your Thinking: critical thinking course for Pakistan Secondary Schools’, Final Report to the United States Institute for Peace. 

Savage, S., Tutton, L., Gordon, E., Oliver, E. and Ward, A. (2020). Developing cognitive complexity and value pluralism within prevention curricula: An empirical assessment of the Living Well with Difference course for secondary schools in England, Journal of Social Science Education, 19. https://doi.org/10.4119/jsse-1128

Contact us

The IC Thinking Research Group is based at the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge. If you have any query about our work please contact us directly at icthinking@psychol.cam.ac.uk.