The Mountain Meadows Massacre, which resulted in the death of more than 100 innocent travelers during the Utah War, can offer some insight into the polarized times the nation is experiencing, writes Brigham Tomco for the Deseret News.

The events, which are covered in the new book Vengeance Is Mine: The Mountain Meadows Massacre and Its Aftermath, reveal a pattern of intergroup conflict and growing tensions that are not unlike the current polarized environment.

The underlying factors that cause people to view members who belong to other groups as enemies may be built into human psychology, said Jocelyn Bélanger, director of the Violent Extremism & Environmental Psychology Lab at New York University Abu Dhabi.

Clark McCauley, professor emeritus of psychology at Bryn Mawr College, explained that this effect is then multiplied exponentially when two groups clash.

“An attack from outside produces this big increase in in-group cohesion, more power and status given to leaders, and more readiness to sanction any kind of deviant,” said McCauley, an expert on intergroup conflict.

The necessary step in overcoming polarization, he said, is to openly address the fears that lie behind it. Those fears can then be heard and, more importantly, listened to.

Read more about Clark McCauley in the Deseret News.

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Learn more about the Mountain Meadows Massacre.