Historical influence of psychology on international conflict resolution and peace building efforts - Assignment Example

Historical influence of psychology on international conflict resolution and peace building efforts HISTORICAL INFLUENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY ON INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND PEACE BUILDING EFFORTSThese two psychological readings help us to address conflict constructively by informing us that war and violence should never be justified. They reveal that some disciplines in modern science justify war and violence, a good example being how the theory of revolution has been used to justify genocide, war, suppression and colonialism.

According to MacNair (2003), fields of knowledge such as psychology can be used to promote peace by studying mental processes that cause violence. Peace psychology entail studying the mental processes that prevent violence and promote nonviolence while facilitating fairness, dignity and respect for all so as to reduce the likelihood of violence taking place. Personally, peace psychology has helped me change my perceptions on war and violence. The two readings have made me realize that it is our responsibility to use disciplines such as psychology to address our species’ dangerous activities like war and violence (UNESCO, 1986).

The readings enable us to deal with conflict by informing us that peace psychology can be linked to all other branches of psychology so as to understand why violence takes place and come up with ways of preventing the violence. The readings shape our thinking on war and violence and can help us prevent them since they give us ways of doing so. In conclusion, war and violence can never be justified because there is no reason good enough to promote them. Psychologists have become continuously interested in war, its causes and its consequences so as to be able to deal with the problem once and for all.

These two reading show us how we can use psychology to deal with war and violence.ReferencesUNESCO (1986). The Seville Statement. UNESCO Culture of Peace Programme: Paris.MacNair, R. M. (2003). The interweaving threads of peace psychology. Retrieved from http://www.rachelmacnair.com/peace-psych-history