WAR IN THE EYES OF CHILDREN: A DEVELOPMENTAL STUDY Polič, M. & Zabukovec, V.* ABSTRACT Children from different age groups (7, 11, and 13 years old) were questioned about the nature and causes of war in general, and about the recent wars in Slovenia and Croatia. Their answers were coded and compared. It was found out that the level of understanding increased with age, but also that it was highly contaminated with current war events. While the knowledge of the youngest group was at a very concrete level, the older children gave a greater variety of more complex answers. We can also comprehend the whole process as the development of event schemata of a very complex nature. Tragical events, connected with the disintegration of former Yugoslavia, had motivated this research on children understanding the war. Conceptual and methodological origins were found in the research on economic socialisation, conducted by Leiser and others (Zabukovec & Polič, 1990). Especially two theoretical approaches must be mentioned here, Piagetian developmental-cognitive and the environmental-istic learning theory, where the former provides the framework and the second the content of socialisation. While socialisation could be defined as a process by which an individual develops through transaction with other people, his specific pattern of socially relevant behaviour and experience (Ziegler & Child, 1969), also the concept of a schema, as a cognitive structure that represents organised knowledge about a given concept or type of stimulus, could be applied here, particularly event schemata (Fiske & Taylor, 1984). The last ones are structures that describe what we know about classes of events. Well-developed schemata are more organised, abstract, moderate and complex. Human knowledge about the war could be termed war schemata. As Peterson (1990) mentioned, human experience, our life spaces, help to shape our views of the * Department of Psychology, University of Ljubljana, A.škrčeva 12, Ljubljana, Slovenia 54 ?lMRHHHHIi PSIC>lO$KAOBZORJA-HCNUZONSOFPSYCHOlOGY93/1 world, manifest as schemata, and our behaviour. The content of schemata is therefore dependent on both, the cognitive level at which the person can reason and cues the environment supplies. While there are a number of reports on different aspects of socialisation (economic, political etc.), a war was rarely included in this kind of investigations. In this study, we were interested how children of different ages comprehend the nature and causes of wars in general, and the recent wars in Slovenia and Croatia. We were therefore investigating the development of the war schemata. METHOD Subject: Eighty-four children, primary school pupils from two schools in different Slovenian towns (with different experience in the recent war in Slovenia; the conditions during the war were more severe in Slovenjgradec), were interviewed (Table 1). TABLE 1: Number of children from different age groups, sex and towns. TOWN LJUBLJANA SLOVENJGRADEC AGE B G N B G N I 7 Years 6 7 13 6 6 12 25 10 Years 11 4 15 9 5 14 29 13 Years 6 8 14 8 8 16 30 Children in each age group, and school were from the same class, and took part in the interview with their parents' permission. Material: The questionnaire with 19, mainly open questions was prepared. Questions referred to different aspects of war in general, and wars in Slovenia and Croatia in particular (causes, duration, termination, engaged sides etc.). Procedure: Research was conducted in February 1992, half a year after the war in Slovenia, and during the war in Croatia. While the children from the older two groups were questioned in a group, the youngest children were questioned individually. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION General war schemata showed clear developmental changes (figure 1). While, for the youngest group, the war was mainly shooting and bombarding (operational definitions), the older groups gave more complex answers, e.g. political and economic conflicts were mentioned as the causes or reasons of wars (conceptual definition). In answers to additional question, about the causes of wars, the older two groups quite often mentioned also territory and money. Strong emotional (fear, dread) and evalu-ational (bad) aspects were present in the answers of the oldest children. Is this the consequence of the current situation or developmental lawfulness remain to be answered. Interestingly enough, when defining war children did not or rarely include fighting soldiers (figure 2). The youngest group mentioned mainly undetermined sides, and the oldest states or nations, and people. The answers of the middle group were somewhere between. WAR N THE EYES OF CHllDRB^ S 55! Definitions of War KIND OF DEFINITION Conceptual Operational Emotional - Value Do Not Know M 7 Years M 10 Years €D 13 Years 0 5 10 15 20 25 FREQUENCY Figure 1 Sides Included in the Definition of War SIDES states. Nations Soldiers People Undetermined Sides Figure 2 ™ 7 Years O 10 Years C3 13 Years 5 10 15 20 FREQUENCY Current situation in their neigborhood (everyday reports on TV and radio, discussions in schools and at homes etc.) evidently had strong influence on children knowledge (figure 3). As their age progress also other parts of the world came into question (e.g. Irak), but war in Croatia prevailed. It is known, that people usually remember close and current events. Interestingly enough, only the oldest group mentioned conditions for the termination of wars, answering about theh- usual duration, while all three groups enumerated a number of time periods, from few days to 5o years (figure 4). Only some of the oldest children understood that the duration of a war depend on certain conditions. The majority of all age groups thought, that the wars most frequently terminate with agreement and peace (what happened in the Slovenian war), while older groups also mentioned the dead and devastation, what is an everyday picture on our TV (figure 5). 56 PSIHOLOSka OBZORJA - HORIZONS OF PSYCHOLOGY 93/1 Existence of Wars Today WAR PLACES Yes - in Croatia Yes - in Yugoslavia Yes - Eisewhera Yes - Undetermined Not ?o Not Know n 7 Years H to Years ed 13 Vieara —1-r- 5 10 IS 20 25 30 FREQUENCY Figure 3 Usual Duration of Wars ANSWERS Time - Undetermined Time - Concrete -fexV Conditions lor End -01 Do Not Know W 7 Years M 10 Years O 13 Years 0 S 10 15 20 25 30 FREQUENCY Figure 4 The Most Frequent Ways of War Ends WAR ENDS Surrender. Defeat Retreat Victory Agreement, Peace etc Intervention Ttie dead. Ruins Good, Bad Run Short of Ammunit With Hate Do Not Know ™ 7 Years M 10 Years ED 13 Years 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 FREQUENCY Figure 5 warmt>gEYESOfCHIU3RBJM Answers to the questions about wars in Slovenia and Croatia showed great impact of mass media reports, and rather polarised picture (good and bad "guys"), with a strongly emphasised role of European and world organisations, and foreign countries (USA). As the main cause of both wars a secession was mentioned. The older two groups also mentioned political conflicts, Serbian politics, territory expansion etc. Their understanding of the phenomena was more complex and complete (figures 6 to 16). While some of the answers were rather naive (e.g. concrete politician ending the war), a number of them showed rather great understanding and certain level of dialectical thinking. The last question demanded an answer concerning their wish to be a soldiers (figure 17). It seems that the current war evidently activated antimilitary feelings in children, or better did not activate militaristic attitudes. The presence and popularity of military personnel during the war could have just the opposite influence. Anyway children dislike being soldiers and prefer peaceful attitudes. Even those, who would like to be soldiers, answered so because they would like to defend the country, or they like arms or shooting. Causes of the War in Slovenia CAUSES Secession Quarrels (Undeter.) Presidents' Quarrels -{ Concrete Ouilt All Quilt Undetermined i Territory, Money Agression, Attack Do Not Know Figure 6 10 15 20 FREQUENCY Sides Engaged in the War in Slovenia ENGAGED SIDES State* Military Structure* All, Civilian —i Politician* Do Not Know; Figure 7 n 7 Vearti « lOlfear. ED 13 ISars 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 3S FREQUENCY PStHOlOSKA OeZCXUA - HORIZONS OF PSYOOOGY 93/1 The Duration of War in Slovenia DURATION Long -« Do Not Know Figure 8 ™ 7 Ifearsl ¦ 10 Years O 13 Years 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 FREQUENCY The Impact of the War in Slovenia EVALUATION OF WAR Not Very Hard Very Hard Do Not Know M 7 Vfears M ICftars CD 14 Vfears 0 S 10 IS 20 25 30 FREQUENCY Figure 9 Contributors to the Termination of the War in Slovenia CONTRIBUTOR Politicians-Generat Politicians-Concrete Military Structures Other States, UN,EC All. People Do Not Know u 7 Years ¦ Wftars En WYiears 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 FREQUENCY Figure 10 WAR IN THE EYES OF CHUDRENrt 59 Possibility of Repetition of a War in Slovenia ANSWER! Do Not Know -KJ W 7 years ^ 10 Years ED WYSars 5 10 16 20 FREQUENCY 25 Figure 11 Causes of the War in Croatia CAUSE Secession Serbian, Yu Politics Serbian, YA Attack Quarrels Territory, Money Retreat from Sloveni Leaders Do Not Know Figure 12 m 7 Years M 10 Years ED 13 Ifears 5 10 15 20 FREQUENCY Sides Engaged in the War In Croatia ENGAGED SIDES States, Nations Military Structures -K All, People Do Not Know i ™ 7 Years M 10 Years ED 14 Years 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 FREQUENCY Figure 13 60 PSlHaoSKA OBZORJA - HORIZONS OF PSYCHaOGY 93/1 Possible Duration of the War in Croatia ANSWER Time - Undetermined -M! Time - Concrete Conditions tor End Do Not Know -M TO 7 Years b 10