BEYOND CONFLICT

Polarization has always been a feature of American politics, but now the United States is experiencing unprecedented and dangerous levels of it. Democrats and Republicans do not just disagree over policies. Increasingly, they view each other through an “us versus them” lens, more common in intractable conflict settings. If left unaddressed, toxic polarization will continue to weaken the United States domestically and around the world. Beyond Conflict aims to create accurate, accessible, and actionable measurements and tools to reduce polarization.

The civil war in Syria is one of our time’s defining conflicts, and the mental health toll is catastrophic. Beyond Conflict has created a mental health intervention, The Field Guide for Barefoot Psychology, that captures and reframes the current science of chronic stress, psychological trauma, grief and loss, shame, and hopelessness in an accessible and user-friendly handbook and mobile application for refugees and those working with them.

Racism and dehumanization, like other forms of exclusion, are not inherent to our human nature but learned, and therefore can be changed and measurably reduced. Yet most approaches aimed at reducing them do not take into account the psychological factors and brain mechanisms that underlie and shape exclusionary behavior and beliefs. Beyond Conflict works both in the United States and abroad to design and test strategies to reduce racism and dehumanization.