The Psychology of Peace Promotion Global Perspectives on Personal Peace, Children and Adolescents, and Social Justice

This volume Psychology of Peace Promotion builds on previous volumes of peace psychology, extending its contributions by drawing from peace research and practices from five continents – Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America. The book discusses emerging disciplinary and inter-disciplinary theories and actions. Each chapter begins with a theoretical framework for understanding peace, followed by a critical review of peace promotion in a specific setting, and concludes with an illustration of psychological principles or theories in either a narrative format or an empirical investigation. This volume develops, as well as guides, its readers on the epistemology of promoting and sustaining peace in varied settings around the world.

 

This book presents relevant, cutting-edge peace promotion strategies to anyone interested in promoting peace more effectively, including peace practitioners, scholars, teachers, and researchers, as well as the general reader. It presents a number of innovative approaches, illustrating their applications to specific social problems, settings and populations. In addition, this volume has much in store for both academic and practice-based scientists in thefield of peace psychology, mental health professionals, administrators, educators, and graduate students from various disciplines. The goal is the promotion and sustenance of peace, using theoretically sound, yet innovative and creative approaches. As expressed by the United Nations Secretary, “peace does not occur by happenstance.” Promoting and sustaining peace requires reflective, thoughtful, and targeted efforts. This book inspires its readers to develop a better understanding of peace and the means of promoting peace in a sustainable way.

1.Promoting Peace through Mindfulness.- 2.Mindfulness and Peace.- 3.Empathic Assessment Heuristic.- 4.Promoting a Peaceful Generation through Parenting, Education, and Civic Engagement .- 5.Raising a Peaceful Generation.- 6.Finding Light In the Barrios of Caracas: A Peace-Promotion Initiative with Marginalized Youth.- 7.Cultural Scars and Lost Innocence.  The Psychology of the African Child: Debasement and Renewal.- 8.Peace Education.- 9.Developmental Psychology and Peace.- 10.Diversity and Peace.- 11.Social Networks that Promote Peace .- 12.Making Humanitarian Organizations/Programs Culturally Relevant for Minority Population within the Middle East.- 13.Violence within Corrections: The Intersection of Feminist Criminology, Peace, Psychology and Human Rights.- 14.Diversity and Human Rights.- 15.Traditional Methods of Promoting Peace in Southwest and Southeast, Nigeria.- 16.Promoting Peace through Religious Strategies.- 17.Truth, Forgiving, and Reconciling: Pathways to Peace and the Context of Refugees.- 18.Forgiveness and Peace.- 19.Social Justice and Peace.- 20.Creating and Sustaining Peace through Storytelling.- 21.Turning Problems into Potential: Positive Social Movement Dynamics.- 22.Environmental Psychology and Peace.- 23.Peace Research by Peaceful Means.

Mary Gloria C. Njoku, DDL was  Professor & Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies,  Godfrey Okoye University, in Thinkers Corner, Enugu, Nigeria. During her lifetime, Mary Gloria was involved in several peace promotion projects such as the annual youth peace conference started in 2011. This conference brought together people from varied backgrounds to learn about peace and generate action plans.

Leonard A. Jason, Ph.D, is a  Professor of Psychology, and Director of the Center for Community Research, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA. For over 40 years, he has been developing community psychology interventions, many of which have focused on peace promotion, such as his work with residents of substance use recovery homes.

 

Burke Johnson, Ph.D., is a Professor of Education, University of South Alabama,  College of Education, Mobile, AL USA. He is theauthor/coauthor/coeditor of 6 books on research methodology, which focus on analysis in social/behavioral/business/health sciences. His current emphasis is Mixed Methods Research, as illustrated in his chapter in this volume.