by Lauren T. Catenacci

Is it possible to simply imagine a better future when faced with seemingly unresolvable conflicts? Last month’s issue of The American Psychologist focused on peace psychology, and presented the article “Intergroup Contact as a Tool for Reducing, Resolving, and Preventing Intergroup Conflict, which outlined numerous methods for initiating intergroup contact as the first step toward conflict resolution and peace. One of the most intriguing methods outlined in the article was imagined contact. Research and empirical support on the effectiveness of imagined contact as a method for reducing intergroup conflict has started to become more prevalent over the past few years.

Researchers conducted a study in which they asked Turkish Cypriots to imagine interacting with Greek Cypriots. Conflict between the two groups, initially stemming from a colonial dispute over northern Cyprus, has been ongoing for over 50 years.  The present study sought to explore whether imagined contact would lead to increased 1) interest in having a casual conversation with a Greek Cypriot and 2) likeliness to do so. They found that for Turkish Cypriot participants who imagined positive contact with Greek Cypriots, interest in future contact was greater than participants who hadn’t imagined contact. Additionally, likeliness to engage in future contact was also significantly greater for participants who imagined contact. These findings suggest that imagined contact can be an effective method for addressing intergroup conflict even in severe cases.

Although Intergroup Contact may be a viable tool when attempting to reduce, resolve, and/or prevent conflict, in instances where Intergroup Contact is not possible or ideal, practitioners may find it useful for members of opposing groups to simply imagine contact with one another.