| dc.description.abstract | Humans evolved with inherent psychological defense mechanisms to notice differences between ourselves and other humans, and throughout human history these perceived differences in appearance, culture, or otherwise have proven to be incredible influencers in conflict. I believe this ability to perceive divides allows us to explore the opposite as well: how to bridge them, and to study this further I used research along the lines of Ted Gurr's frustration-aggression mechanism to isolate a controlled a particular human action when a divide is perceived, that is, in the field of state vs. people. Protest and revolution have permeated human history in much of the same manner, and by isolating the factors that distinguish simple protest from full, violent revolution, and seeing these catalysts in four separate case studies of their historical occurrence, we may infer further as to the human perception of divides, and what we do to exacerbate or mitigate them. | |
