During the summer of 1954, a group of preteen boys embarked on a three-week camping trip to Robbers Cave, not knowing that they would be participating in a grand psychology experiment. The boys were randomly divided into two teams that engaged in a series of competitions ranging from baseball games to pitching tents. As predicted, each team grew closer in solidarity as the members worked together to defeat their opponents. Yet despite the fact that the two teams were largely homogeneous, each team began to create negative stereotypes about the other and hostilities arose whenever there were interactions between them. Before long, the boys were no longer enjoying a camping trip—they were fighting against their enemies.

There is a human tendency to see ourselves as part of an ingroup united against an outgroup. This theme is pervasive and plays out all around us. As an American citizen, I have seen my country fight wars against terrorism in the Middle East. I turn on the TV and see Democrats and Republicans fighting for the White House. I look outside my dorm room and see protesters fighting against sexual assault violence on campus. Studies have shown that even arbitrary and trivial distinctions like the color of your shirt can be enough to trigger this innate tendency to favor your own group over another. It is not hard to imagine how much more salient this tendency can be when the differences are much more substantial.

To see how widespread this theme is, you need not look farther than the pages of this issue of the HPR. Brandon Dixon takes a close look at how the Black Lives Matter movement’s desire to dissolve an unjust criminal justice system has been met with resistance. Ali Dastjerdi points out how Donald Trump’s stance on nuclear threats is reminiscent of the madman approach adopted by President Richard Nixon during the Cold War. Sunaina Danziger examines the pitfalls of increased xenophobia against Muslim refugees. Arjun Kapur describes the necessity for Western countries to unite and defend their shared values against the increasing influence of terrorist networks.

The boys at Robbers Cave ended up putting aside their differences to tackle challenges that required both teams’ mutual respect and cooperation. These tasks (like fixing a broken water pipe) could not be accomplished by just one team alone, and the benefits of completing the tasks were conferred on both teams equally. Soon enough the division between the two groups faded and all of the boys became united as one.

Reality is rarely this clean. For example, the United States may never be able to team up with enemies like North Korea and ISIS no matter how many “broke water pipe” challenges they face. Despite this sobering fact, we should constantly seek out opportunities to achieve peace and harmony with our enemies even when doing so may seem impossible.

Joseph Choe

President