ABSTRACT
The field of social psychology has long examined the area of intergroup relations. This specialized area encompasses broad constructs such as stereotypes and prejudice, social identity, in-group and out-group bias, attributional biases, and ethnocentrism and ethnonational conflicts. Often, the study of intergroup relations has been a proxy for studying intergroup conflict. As a consequence, there is a plethora of knowledge development and conceptualization regarding the causes of conflict and tension between groups, with less attention focused on intergroup cooperation and conflict reduction. It is, of course, important to understand the psychology behind what causes the intractability of certain types of intergroup conflicts. Only by understanding this can we begin to develop effective conflict resolution strategies. A possible strategy that can be used to lessen intergroup conflict is civic service. This chapter examines the potential role that civic service programs and, in particular, youth service programs can play in facilitating intergroup cooperation and conflict reduction.
