Psychology and human rights: Introduction to the special issue.

Abstract

Journal of Peace Psychology on the topic of psychology and human rights (HR). We provide a brief overview of the history of the concept of HR, the primary theoretical and empirical contributions to date within the field of psychology, and how various psychological organizations use the term today. We then summarize how HR fits into social psychological peace research, before explaining what kind of papers we sought and how they were selected. Finally, we provide an overview of the papers and their primary contributions, and point to some limitations of the research covered in this special issue as well as directions for future research.

Social Identities in a Globalized World

“…As a case in point, even as research links identification with humanity with support of the human rights of distant others (e.g., Cohrs & Asbrock, 2009; McFarland et al, 2012; Reese et al, 2014), the very concepts of human rights and civil liberties arguably are bound to the individual-centered traditions of Western liberal humanism. Some have claimed, then, that human rights cannot be considered culturally neutral (e.g., Twose & Cohrs, 2015) or, indeed, universally helpful (e.g., Kymlicka, 2001; but see, for example, Glendon, 2002, on non-Western influences and McFarland, 2015, on cross-cultural endorsement). Given the ongoing debate on even these most fundamental concepts, it is unclear what type of culturally anodyne content could be assigned to the category of all humans or how it might specify in any detail a universal way of constructing a human life, a human society, or indeed, a human psychology (Marsella, 1998).…”

The Fundamental Human Right to Health, the Significance of Non-Commercialized Health Care System, and the Challenges of Neoliberal Capitalism

“…Права человека охватывают гражданские, политические права, также экономические, социальные и культурные права. Они неделимы, взаимозависимы, универсальны и неотчуждаемы в том смысле, что их нельзя удалить, и их можно рассматривать в качестве права как отдельных лиц, так и групп [7].…”

Humans: The Biggest Barrier to Realising Human Rights - A South African Perspective

“…As a result, human rights are viewed as a continuation of the natural rights tradition which focused on the moral properties of human beings and, thus, emerged long before the adoption thereof in legal documents [3]. They encompass moral entitlements that belong to humans whether recognised by legal systems or not [4]. As moral rights and claims, they present minimum standards pertaining to human treatment to which humans are morally entitled to [5] simply because of them being human [6].…”

“…Because of its international legal recognition, human rights are defined by various authors [4,[25][26][27] as universal rights which emerged as an ideal from legal imperatives as reflected in various declarations, conventions, and treaties leading to a universal culture of human rights. International human rights law, although existing beyond the determination of specific societies [2], essentially serve as individual legal entitlements primarily against all States and State entities.…”

“…The adherence to human rights and, thus, the success of an idealistic human rights culture are depended upon a better insight into the genuine attitudes of and behaviour towards human rights in general [26]. It must, therefore, be acknowledged that individual, self-contained values such as social justice, equality, loyalty, and care [4,55] as well as the social conditions in which humans live predict their behaviour [25]. This, consecutively, poses challenges for the realisation of universal human rights aiming at regulating human behaviour across national borders, underscoring a more globalised application [24].…”