To understanding the effects of conditioning thinking: about new book of Terrence Webster-Doyle

Review of the book “Mind Games: towards understanding the nature of prejudice and conflict, or how to learn to live in peace” by Terrence Webster-Doyle. Mind Games: To understand the roots of prejudice and how to learn live peacefully: a scientific and educational publication. T. Webster-Doyle. Samara Cultural Society “Artifact-Cultural Diversity”. Samara: Samara Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences; 2020. 55 p.

Reviewer considers that T. Webster-Doyle’s book is a brilliant example of how conflicts can be resolved most effectively without theorized distraction. T. Webster-Doyle’s book is small in volume, but very significant in content. The author offers a real program for taming the conflicts and violence that fill the entire human history. Until now, there is a clear lack of research on the universal determinants of the emergence and dynamics of conflict. A paradoxical situation arises when methods of conflict resolution are studied and modified, despite the fact that its initial determinants are not accurately determined. The models of taming conflicts that are being replicated in the social sciences almost do not solve the very problem of overcoming violence in society. Note that T. Webster-Doyle defines her book as the most significant work of her life. The author proposes an original approach to the determination of the conflict and defines the ways of its resolution in direct relationship with the understanding of its determinants. Also, the advantage of the book is a good literary presentation of the material. T. Webster-Doyle views conflict as a phenomenon created by the human mind, which at the same time, in a paradox, is trying to solve a problem “which it itself creates.” This work is devoted to the study of the determinants of conflict, which are considered comprehensively in the relationship of biological and social determinants: as generated by genetically programmed brain programs and at the same time as a function of people’s perception of the world around them and each other. The author notes that the universal basis of biological programming is the general motivation – the desire to survive. Consequently, this work presents a program for resolving the conflict based on a comprehensive consideration of the conflict as a sociobiological phenomenon, which is based on the conditioned thinking of a person (primordial biological protection of his brain). The advantage of the book is its versatility. The author does not just consider the problem of the conflict, its components, the parties to the conflict, conflict genes, the incident, etc. He is looking for an approach that allows you to take a fresh look at this problem and find ways to prevent and destroy the conflict.