The reconciliation movement in Australia aims to build mutually respectful relationships between indigenous and other Australians by eliminating ‘gaps’ in health and well-being, educating about Indigenous history and culture and addressing social disadvantages based on false beliefs and stereotypes. Psychological literature has much to offer to the last aim, with a wealth of research documenting the negative overtone of intrapersonal processes such as attitudes, false beliefs and stereotype knowledge about Aboriginal Australians, and also suggesting approaches for improving them. However, stereotypes and false beliefs are also transmitted through interpersonal processes, such as communication between individuals motivated to engage with each other. Research shows that in such social interactions, stereotypes are persistent and difficult to change and new strategies are needed to achieve positive transformations. This chapter outlines the way interpersonal communication contributes to the circulation of Aboriginal stereotypes in society and the complexities encountered when applying normative and informational social influence strategies to change such stereotypes. In doing so, it highlights value similarities between peace psychology and the reconciliation movement and demonstrates the importance of empirically testing social action interventions prior to their application, so that reconciliation between Indigenous and other Australians is promoted and not inadvertently impeded.
The information contained on this website has been sourced by the Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project (AIPEP) and AIPEP 2. The first AIPEP was funded by the Australian Government Office of Teaching and Learning. AIPEP 2 is part of the Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing Project, funded by the Million Minds Mission Grant. The views expressed in this website do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government Office of Teaching and Learning or the Million Minds Mission Grant.
Several of the images used throughout this website are credited to Chris Lewis