1

Impact paper on Martin Deutsch

Ben Fogarty

Loras College
 2

My main study of focus was done by Morton Deutsch, Liu Yangyang, and Eric C. Marcus

and was published in 2017. The study was based on developing a global community. It looked

at individuals wiliness to endorse the idea of doing so and what would personally encourage or

discourage them from doing so. Participants were asked whether they would commit to the

values of the United Nations' Declaration of Human Rights and Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four

Freedoms. Once they were asked that they could answer yes, no, or maybe. Those answering

yes received questions asking them their reasons, actions they may take, barriers to action, and

ways to overcome such barriers. Those answering no or maybe were asked, similarly, their

reasons for answering no or maybe, what is preventing them from doing so, and what might

change their mind and make the commitment.

After all the participants were asked, 70% answered yes to being willing and 30% said

they were unwilling or maybe. What was interesting about this study was that there didn’t

seem to be any variable like gender, age, or political party that had more unwilling than willing.

Another impressive variable was that 70% of those who were unwilling, they would change

their stance if they knew more of the options for actions they could take.

This study is good evidence that most people want to be part of a global community. It

also showed that most of those who were unsure could be convinced to change if more options

were available. The study helps aim further research to know better what areas of creating a

global community they need to examine.

My first additional study I looked into for having connections to the above one was my

favorite of the studies as well. It seemed very prevalent to what we experience in today’s
 3

society. The other two also seemed to look into different aspects of communities with one on a

smaller scale and the other looking how psychology can help join the global community

together.

The first of the additional studies was done by de Rivera & Mahoney in 2018. This study

was started to look how receiving good news helps people feel less hopeless and form together

as a community. To start the study the participants were asked questions about their global

identity and after answering these questions they were sent to one of three internet news site.

After reading the article they were asked to write about the emotions that article made them

feel. They were then asked the global community/identity questions again. The results found a

significant increase in wanting to join a global community when the news was good or in

celebration. This study helped establish what a big role news sources have when it comes to

joining together as a global community.

The second of the additional studies was done by Opotow in 2006. This study looked to

see how verbiage can affect how and who people include in their community. The study looked

specifically at justice and how it applies. They started their study by replicating a different

study which led them to do a new one of their own. They went into the city and asked people

to give perspectives of others in their community. They found that those who were better at

taking perspectives of others were more well liked and well known in the neighborhoods they

lived in. This leads them to the conclusion that being more involved in the community you live

in increases how well you can understand others perspectives as well.

 4

The final additional study was done by Marsella in 1998. This study looked into

developing a meta branch of psychology to look into global community to help in its growth.

The article examined positives and negatives of including psychology in forming a global

community. In doing so they gave methods to aim for as well as methods to try and avoid.

They found that with the right training adding this new branch can greatly increase the chance

of successfully increasing global community throughout the world. This study, like the one

before it could be looked at as inspiration to my main study as ones that gave direction to

Martin Deutsch and his partners for their study.

I think Deutsch had an impact on not only psychology but the world. He started to open

doors for people to look into what it would take to bring the world together in a peaceful

manner and even started to help people find ways to do it as well. I think that with the right

procedures in place we could get more people to be on board with bring the global community

together and work towards a better world.

 5

References

de Rivera, J., & Mahoney, C. O. (2018). Promoting a sense of global community. Peace and

Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 24(3), 347-353.

doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1037/pac0000323

Marcus, E. C., Deutsch, M., & Liu, Y. (2017). A study of willingness to participate in the

development of a global human community. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace

Psychology, 23(1), 89-92. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1037/pac0000188

Marsella, A. J. (1998). Toward a "global-community psychology": Meeting the needs of a

changing world. American Psychologist, 53(12), 1282-1291.

doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1037/0003-066X.53.12.1282

Opotow, S. (2006). Seeking inclusion and pluralism: Two exploratory studies. Peace and

Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 12(4), 349-366.

doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.loras.edu/10.1207/s15327949pac1204_4