PEACE PSYCHOLOGY

U.S. psychologists lack knowledge and appreciation of the psychology of peace

    Hobbesian view that international relations are competitive and anarchical
    Reliance on qualitative research methods
    Concerns about the boundaries of peace psychology
    Belief that psychology has little to offer international relations

Ignorance leads to faulty assumptions about peace

    Peace is unusual and precarious
    Humans are hard-wired toward aggression

Ignorance precludes interventions that promote peace

History

    William James – the moral equivalent of war
    Gordon Allport – contact hypothesis
    Urie Bronfenbrenner – mirror images
    Charles Osgood – GRIT
    Morton Deutsch – mutual deterrence
    Lebow & Stein – complementary reassurance

Current themes

    Sensitivity to geohistorical context
    Differentiated perspective on violence and peace

Systemic/multilevel determinants of violence and peace

    Examples:

        Global South - social justice
        Africa - positive intergroup relations
        West - prevention of terrorism

Johan Galtung – varieties of violence and peace

    Direct violence – acute insult
    Structural violence – chronic social arrangements leading to deprivation    
    Cultural violence – normative prescriptions that support direct and/or structural violence

    Peacekeeping – containment and de-escalation of conflict
    Peacemaking – agreements and settlements
    Peacebuilding – proactive healing and prevention by ameliorating structural violence

Framework for Peace

    Negative peace – reduce violence
    Positive peace – increase social justice

Negative peace

    Conflictual relationships – real or perceived incompatibilities in goals

        Realistic conflict theory – competition for scarce resources
        Relative deprivation theory – unfavorable social comparisons
        Absolute deprivation – actual frustration of need satisfaction
    
        Conflict management by containing differences in views or by reaching an agreement in order to prevent violence

            Interest-based – encourage empathy and mutual understanding to get at shared underlying interests

            Needs-based – interactive problem-solving to loosen entrenched positions and catalyze change in wider communities

    Violence

        De-escalation to soften psychological resistance to peace (e.g., nationalism)
        Readiness to negotiate mutually satisfying agreements

    Post-violence

        Restoration of psychological health

        Restoration of a functional community

        UN Agenda for Peace

            “Integrated missions”
            Demobilization and reintegration
            New political structures

        Reconciliation

            Public truth telling
            Justice without revenge
            Redefinition of social identities
            Call for a new relationship

Positive peace

    Transformations within and across institutions that rectify structural inequalities

        Economic – equal access to resources
        Political – inclusion of the marginalized
        Cultural – critical consciousness
    
DISCUSSION:

➢    Does the worldwide spread of capitalism and democracy increase the likelihood of intergroup conflict?

➢    If not mourned, do feelings of collective victimization get passed on intergenerationally and maintain conditions for intergroup conflict?

➢    How can the actions of al-Qaeda be explained in terms of unjust structural preconditions and a distinct cultural narrative?