Peacebuilding More Successfully?

Abstract

This chapter addresses some of the suggestions that are emerging from the growing field of social and behavioral psychology about how the work of peacebuilders, diplomats, the military, and others can use some of the insights noted in this book. The suggestions are not a substitute for the theories and practices that are currently in use by researchers and activists in their various fields. Rather they suggest an extra way of undertaking our analysis by taking into account the multiple lawyers of instincts and emotions that often imbue the actions of communities and peoples involved in often violent conflict. Every such analysis will of course be informed by the particular complexities of the contexts within which particular conflicts are occurring, and the security needs within that context. But by also addressing the instinctual and emotional needs of the various parties involved in conflicts, the work of peacebuilders of all hues can make their work more effective and more sustainable.

New insights into the psychology of individuals and large groups in a world of changing conflicts

“…These capacities are beginning to enable us to understand more about how our thoughts, feelings and behaviour emerge from, are influenced by, and in some cases are limited by our genetic predispositions and our physical brain and body functioning. These discoveries have furthered understanding of the body/mind split, showing how much we are in thrall to our biological substrate (Fitzduff, 2021).…”