Muzafer Sherif was a Turkish-American social psychologist who conducted pioneering experimental research on how social norms form and how intergroup conflict arises from competition over resources, most famously in the 1954 Robbers Cave experiment. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Death PlaceFairbanks, Alaska, United States 1 Nationality / Culture Defining ContributionDeveloped realistic conflict theory and conducted the Robbers Cave experiment, demonstrating that superordinate goals reduce intergroup hostility more effectively than contact alone. 1 Notable WorkIntergroup Conflict and Cooperation: The Robbers Cave Experiment (1961) 1 Connections
Associated With
His Robbers Cave studies of intergroup conflict and cooperation are foundational to group dynamics research.
In Branch
Studies Conducted
Source Wikipedia: Robbers Cave Experiment
Theories and Concepts Developed
Muzafer Sherif formulated realistic conflict theory from his Robbers Cave experiment, showing that competition for scarce resources between groups produces intergroup hostility.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Muzafer Sherif
Wikimedia FoundationLife and career sectionQuote, Life and career section
he sided with Communists. Sherif went back to the U.S. permanently in 1945.
Wikipedia: Robbers Cave Experiment
Wikimedia FoundationStudies Conducted: Robbers Cave Experiment, Robbers Cave study sectionQuote, Studies Conducted: Robbers Cave Experiment, Robbers Cave study section
The Sherifs noted that hostile and aggressive attitudes toward an outgroup arise when groups compete for resources that only one group can attain.
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