Alexia McAuley

The Forgotten Conflict Alexia McAuley

A study of the social and psychological phenomenon at play in conflict. Or rather, a front seat viewing to watch as those phenomenon twist and morph the minds of those who cave to the pressure to identify among a group. The city of Satyagraha consists of multiple species- but primarily the Jjiknil and the Xoic. These races together created the great city but have no access to the histories of old. Nutu Nikishin, a Jjiknil, and Saso-Omu Kar'ome, a Xoic, believe they have volunteered for an experiment meant to uncover the past history of Satyagraha and its creators. But as one grows to identify with a long forgotten group at war with another, it becomes evident that there is more at play than simple history. This is a short fictional exploration using a science-fiction setting to delve into such psychological concepts like the Fundamental Attribution Error, the effect of the group on the individual, zero-sum thinking, and other areas of social psychology in relation to conflicts from personal competition to war