In the article, “The Role of Identity Reconstruction in Promoting Reconciliation” Donna
Hicks discussed the way in which identity plays an intricate role in ongoing conflicts. According
to Hicks, “threats to identity have been described as one of the explanations for why conflicting
parties seen unable to come to a negotiated end to the conflict” (Helmick & Petersen, 2001,
p.129). This is said to be true even in situations where there appears to be a solution to
accommodate the interests of both parties.
Much of what Hicks discusses throughout the article is presented under the Piagetian
model of social cognitive development as the foundation of the conceptual framework. The
primary concern of this model is how individuals come to understand their relationship with the
world and their interaction with it and on what basis they arrive at conclusions about others and
the events of the world (Helmick & Petersen, 2001). In this view, one does not come to know the
world by passively observing it and standing back and watching it unfold. Rather, one can only
gain an understanding of self and others through interaction, which is the provision for the
development of internal structures that serves as both a storehouse for the acquired knowledge
and a way of maintaining a sense of inner equilibrium so that one can function in the world
(Helmick & Petersen, 2001).
Hicks goes on to discuss the process of adaptation as a means of increasing one’s
capacity to take in more complex information without being thrown out of balance. There are
two dialectical processes discussed: assimilation and accommodation. The assimilative aspect of
adaptation builds and internally coherent structure, while the accommodating aspect requires an
externally focused mechanism that allows us to take in information from the outside world ,
which become the content of our understanding (Helmick & Petersen, 2001). The end result of
simultaneous interaction of assimilation and accommodation is learning. If you have one without
the other, no learning is taking place.
This article presents so many interesting concepts of identity. However, in terms of
conflict, when a existential threat arises the process of identity formation shuts down. The
threatening event creates fear, anger, anxiety, and impulse toward self-preservation, which in
most cases directs the anger and hostility toward the threatening other. In such cases, the parties
are unable to reach a common ground solution because of the embedded negative images and the
distance that they each have of the other. This is an amazing article by Hicks. It really makes you
look into your own life and examine how you allowed conflicts in your life to be extended
because you considered it a threat to your identity.
Reference
Helmick, S.J., R. G., & Petersen, R. L. (2001). Forgiveness and reconciliation: religion, public
policy, and conflict transformation. Philadelphia, Pa: Templeton Foundation Press.
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