Destroys Trust in and the Legitimacy of Institutions

2. Intractable Conflict Threat and Opportunity

Another consequence of small-scale intractable conflict is the destruction of people's trust in or sense of legitimacy of the organization or institution in which the conflict takes place.  If people feel they are being mistreated in their job, they won't trust their supervisors or the employing organization overall.  If people feel they are mistreated at school or by the police, the result is the same.  They won't trust their teachers or the school; they won't trust the police, and the interaction between the individual and the authority figures can get increasingly strained. Sometimes the result is relatively minor, such as poor school performance, but sometimes the result is violence — against the school, against other people or against the police.  

Resources on this Topic

To see all Guide Resources on this topic, scroll within the resource box below.
Stars indicate resources that we think are especially useful.