by Erin L. Lovell and E. Mark Cummings

Lovell and Cummings employ a multidisciplinary approach to consider the effects of conflict and conflict processes on children in Northern Ireland. Based on a review of theory and research on dynamic processes known to underlie children’s functioning in families and groups, they argue that child development and psychological processes in families are likely to be highly affected by the communal conflict setting in Northern Ireland, particularly in zones of high intensity conflict. They show that children do not merely react to the presence of conflict, but interpret the conflict and what it means to them personally, and to their families (or in a communal scenario, to their respective community). They conclude that it is critical to initiate and conduct research relative to the dynamic relationship between both familial and communal conflict to lay the groundwork for potential interventions for children and families in Northern Ireland.

Erin Lovell received her B.A. in Government and International Relations from the University of Notre Dame in 2001 and completed a concentration in peace studies.

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