American Revolution and Intergroup Conflict Theory.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the roles played by Intergroup Conflict Theories in the American Revolution at various stages of its development, and how they can help to explain the colonist's motivation to join the cause. The theories to be discussed include Freud's Frustration-Aggression Theory, as well as Relative Deprivation Theory and Resource Mobilization Theory. In the course of any study on any revolutionary war, the question of why individuals choose to join a revolutionary group is a key question. The question provides conversational fodder for psychologists, political scientists, economists and sociologists alike. In this examination we will focus on three Intergroup Conflict Theories, to delve into the question from a psychological point of view. The first theory to be touched upon is Freud's Frustration-Aggression Theory.