Psychology of peace: Findings and challenges for the multidimensional transformation of violent social practices.

Abstract

This chapter outlines a multidimensional analytical approach to peace grounded in the field of peace studies to suggest future research directions. This multidimensional model of peace (López-López, 2016, 2020 recognizes the relevance to the analysis of peace-building efforts of psychosocial processes alongside economic, political, legal, cultural, environmental, and security processes. We review studies that have examined the psychosocial dimension of peace in the context of the Colombian armed conflict in order to explore interrelationships among the dimensions of the model. This psychosocial perspective is intended as a contribution to peace building both in Colombia and in other places where conflict has been a main driver of collective and individual histories.The chapter is divided into two main sections. The first section outlines the need for a multidimensional model of peace and defines each of its dimensions. The second reviews social and political psychology research conducted in the context of the Colombian armed conflict in order to highlight the relevance of the biopsychosocial dimension of peace in peace-building settings. Each section is based on a narrative literature review describing studies that influenced our research, and therefore our intention in this chapter is not to

Colombian Transitional Justice: The media discourse of the Peace Agreement and perceptions regarding its institutions

“…Firstly, from the media, which have shown to be crucial for the structuring of opinions in favor or against peace culture building processes (López-López et al 2014;López-López et al 2021) and which are a fundamental piece in the representation of reality and in the perceptions that the general population constructs concerning the war and the transition process (Igartua 2011) a broad sample collected throughout the country that evaluates the general population conceptions regarding approval, trust, and level of information on transitional justice institutions, in addition to inquiring about psychosocial variables that are relevant to understand the impact of these models in Latin America (Arnoso et al 2015;Velez et al 2020).…”

“…Reconciliation requires the formation of new social beliefs that describe the multidimensional nature of peace, specifying the conditions and mechanisms for its achievement, realistically outlining the benefits and costs of its attainment, and emphasizing the meaning of living peacefully and the conditions for its maintenance (López-López 2017;López-López et al 2021).…”

The FARC in Colombia: Collective Reintegration and Social Identity Transformation

“…Third, the success of reintegration in some reintegration zones and the failure of others suggest an interaction of different factors at the regional level (Nussio & Quishpe, 2018). Adding to emerging multidimensional approaches to peace building, future research could shed light on the interaction of economic, political, and psychosocial factors at the regional level (López‐López et al, 2021).…”

“…We conducted qualitative field research to learn about their aspirations, social networks, preoccupations, and challenges regarding reintegration. Following a multidimensional analysis of peace building, it is our desire to contribute to the psychosocial understanding of this reintegration process to complement the political and economic perspectives (López‐López, Pineda‐Marín, Correa‐Chica, Rincón‐Unigarro, & Silva, 2021; Özerdem, 2012; Rettberg & Ugarriza, 2016). We therefore analyze this reintegration using the social identity framework (Tajfel, 1974).…”

La Comisión de la Verdad en Colombia: conocimiento, percepción, eficacia y emociones asociadas

“…Para las sociedades que experimentan eventos de violencia política, se han propuesto buscar herramientas y procesos que favorezcan la reconstrucción del tejido social y que permitan disminuir los escenarios violentos para construir una cultura basada en la convivencia pacífica (Reyes et al, 2015;Arnoso et al, 2014;López-López, 2020;López-López et al, 2021). Estas sociedades que buscan transitar hacia escenarios en los que la gestión no violenta de los conflictos permita escenarios sostenibles de cuidado por la vida y el respeto a los derechos humanos; allí, uno de los mayores retos es enmarcar la justicia, la memoria colectiva y la forma de tratar los crímenes ocurridos en un contexto de confianza y no repetición.…”