“Within five seconds, I can already see the contradictions and the conflict with society”: Applying the normative conflict model to a collectivist society

Abstract

The normative conflict model of dissent predicts how group members will behave when experiencing conflict with the group on a normative basis, as a function of the extent to which they identify with their group. While strongly identified members will dissent and challenge prevailing norms because they have the group's interests in mind, weakly identified members will distance themselves because the group is not important to them. The normative conflict model has so far been empirically examined only in Western populations. The purpose of the present study is to apply the normative conflict model to a collectivist Arab society. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 young Arabs, graduates of one of the only alternative schools operating in Arab society in Israel. As students, they were exposed to liberal norms that were very different from the dominant norms in Arab society. The findings show that while dissent is the most common practice that the study participants adopt, some of them also distance themselves from society. As opposed to the model's prediction, those who distance themselves do care about their group and feel they belong to it. Findings also reveal that the severity of social sanctions imposed on dissenters motivates them to conform regardless of the conflict with society. The findings are discussed and interpreted in accordance with the normative conflict model. Further examination of the model in the context of additional non-Western societies is needed.