Peace psychology

What it studies

Peace psychology studies psychological aspects of peace, conflict and violence. The Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence says it supports research, education, training, advocacy and activism on peace, nonviolent conflict resolution, and the causes and prevention of war and destructive conflict. Nielsen quotes one author who defines peace by the presence of qualities, values and approaches in human relationships that build greater harmony.

History and people

Nielsen writes that peace psychology became a formal subdiscipline in the 1980s, with roots several decades earlier. He cites William James's essay on the moral equivalent of war, originally published in 1910, and 1960s developments including a 1961 special issue of the Journal of Social Issues and Charles Osgood's GRIT strategy. The Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence states that it was founded in 1990.

People and documented roles

• William James. Author of a 1910 essay on the moral equivalent of war
  • Wrote the essay 'The Moral Equivalent of War', originally published in 1910, cited by Nielsen as an early statement later largely ignored by psychologists. [1]
• Charles Osgood. Developer of the GRIT strategy for reducing international tension, as described by Nielsen
  • Developed the GRIT strategy for reducing tension in international relations, which Nielsen calls perhaps the most important development of the 1960s. [1]

Only people named in the opened sources are listed, with the roles those sources give. The sources do not document women or scholars outside the United States in this area, and the Division 48 history pages could not be opened.

Dated milestones

• 1910Publication. Year.William James's essay on the moral equivalent of war originally published, per Nielsen's footnote. [1]
• 1961Publication. Year.Special issue of the Journal of Social Issues on psychology and policy in a nuclear age, per Nielsen's footnote. [1]
• 1990Society or organization formed. Year.The Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence (APA Division 48) states it was founded. This is an organization date, not the start of the field. [2]

Methods

Nielsen says peace psychologists consider multiple levels of analysis, from the individual to the wider society, to understand and prevent conflict, and that they are not necessarily pacifists. The sources opened do not describe specific research designs. A Cambridge University Press textbook page lists topic areas such as conflict resolution, crisis management, nonviolence, peacemaking and peacebuilding.

Training and applications

According to Nielsen, the division's goals include sponsoring research, educating psychologists and the public, and encouraging the practical use of nonviolent conflict resolution and the prevention of war. A 2006 Cambridge University Press textbook by Blumberg, Hare and Costin describes peace psychology as studied within peace studies, conflict studies and subsidiaries of psychology, international relations and politics. No licensed profession is described in these sources.

Evidence behind the claims

• The Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence, also known as Division 48: Peace Psychology, states that it was founded in 1990.

  History and peopleThe organization's own descriptionSource: [2]Where: Opening description on the home page

• The society says it supports psychological research, education, training, advocacy and activism on peace, nonviolent conflict resolution, and the causes and prevention of war and destructive conflict.

  What it studiesThe organization's own descriptionSource: [2]Where: Opening description on the home page

• Nielsen writes that the move to establish peace psychology as a formal subdiscipline occurred in the 1980s, with roots extending several decades earlier.

  History and peopleDocumented in the sourceSource: [1]Where: Section 'History of Peace Psychology', page 111

• Nielsen cites William James's essay 'The Moral Equivalent of War', originally published in 1910, in which James decried the tendency to rally around the flag and urged societies to create constructive ways to meet the human need for security and affiliation.

  History and peopleDocumented in the sourceSource: [1]Where: History section and footnote 8, pages 111-112

• Nielsen identifies a 1961 special issue of the Journal of Social Issues critical of United States nuclear policy and Charles Osgood's GRIT strategy for reducing international tension as developments of the 1960s.

  History and peopleDocumented in the sourceSource: [1]Where: History section, page 113, with footnotes 12 and 14

• Nielsen states that peace psychologists consider multiple levels of analysis, including the individual and the wider society, and that they are not necessarily pacifists.

  MethodsDocumented in the sourceSource: [1]Where: Page 111, paragraph after the definition of peace

• Nielsen describes the division's goals as sponsoring research and publishing the journal Peace and Conflict, educating psychologists and the public, and encouraging the application of nonviolent conflict resolution and the prevention of war.

  Training and applicationsDocumented in the sourceSource: [1]Where: Page 113, paragraph beginning 'More recently'

• The Cambridge University Press page for a 2006 textbook by Blumberg, Hare and Costin describes peace psychology as studied within peace studies, conflict studies and subsidiaries of psychology, international relations and politics, and lists topics including conflict resolution, crisis management, nonviolence and peacebuilding.

  Training and applicationsDocumented in the sourceSource: [3]Where: Book description and part list

• Nielsen quotes a definition of peace by the presence of qualities, values and approaches in human relationships that build greater harmony.

  What it studiesDocumented in the sourceSource: [1]Where: Page 110, paragraph on defining peace, footnote 3

• Nielsen judges peace psychology to be small compared with developmental or clinical psychology.

  Boundaries and limitsDocumented in the sourceSource: [1]Where: Page 113

In the Psy101 course

• OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 12.6: AggressionChapter 12, Social Psychology. Topic reading. Nearest related reading; direct coverage of this field has not been verified.Nearest textbook reading on aggression; the page was not opened.
• OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 12.5: Prejudice and DiscriminationChapter 12, Social Psychology. Topic reading. Nearest related reading; direct coverage of this field has not been verified.Nearest textbook reading on prejudice and intergroup conflict; the page was not opened.

This is course relevance only. It is not evidence for the historical or practice claims on this page.See the full course map.

Sources and inspection

3 of 3 sources were opened and read at the level shown. A source marked as not verified supports no claim on this page by itself.

1. [1]
   Peace Psychology and Mormonism: A Broader Vision for PeaceDialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought (author: Michael E. Nielsen), undated. Review article. Supports the history.Selected text readRead journal pages 109 to 114 as page images, including the history section; the later sections on Mormon thought were not read. The pages show no publication year (footnotes cite retrievals in October 2003), and the history section is a brief survey by a social psychologist, not a dedicated history.
2. [2]
   Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence: Peace Psychology Division 48 (home page)Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence (APA Division 48), undated. Professional association. Supports the definition of the area.Selected text readRead the home page text for the name, 1990 founding statement and mission; the linked history pages returned 404 and were not read.
3. [3]
   Peace Psychology: A Comprehensive IntroductionCambridge University Press (authors: Herbert H. Blumberg, A. Paul Hare, Anna Costin), 2006. Textbook. Supports a statement about practice.Abstract onlyRead the publisher's landing page description and part list only; the book text was not opened.

Independent source review: Claude Code reviewer agent, separate from the writer, 2026-10-21. Verdict: Admitted after corrections. Of 8 claims checked, 8 were supported as written, 0 were reworded and 0 were removed.

Related fields and elsewhere on Psy101

• Social psychology
• Political psychology
• Community psychology
• Trauma psychology

• Psy101 People: William James