Sociophysics Analysis of Multi-Group Conflicts

Abstract

We present our research on the application of statistical physics techniques to multi-group social conflicts. We identify real conflict situations of which the characteristics correspond to the model. We offer realistic assumptions about conflict behaviors that get factored into model-generated scenarios. The scenarios can inform conflict research and strategies for conflict management. We discuss model applications to two- and three-group conflicts. We identify chaotic time evolution of mean attitudes and the occurrence of strange attractors. We examine the role that the range of interactions plays with respect to the occurrence of chaotic behavior.

Keywords

• social conflicts
• statistical physics approach
• complex systems
• mean-field theory
• monte carlo simulation