Psychology of peace is focus of new study

[Dover]

Psychology of peace is focus of new study


Researchers at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology are studying the relationship between experiences of another culture and peaceful traits. This study may have important implications for creating and supporting peace in the world. The research concludes on November 30th, 2004.

Palo Alto, CA - As war continues to rage in Iraq, peaceful psychological qualities like empathy and compassion are being studied by researchers. At the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (ITP) in Palo Alto, California a research group is focusing intensely on those traits. They are asking if certain experiences of other cultures coincide with peaceful psychological traits. This research group is gathering data online until November 30th.
The ITP peace psychology research class has run at continuously since January 2002. The course was created to constructively respond to the tragedies experienced in America on September 11th, 2001. The enrolled students, instructed by Residential Academic Dean Paul Roy, Ph.D., have explored the nature and history of peace psychology; developed research questions; created an experiment to test their hypotheses; and now are in the data gathering stage of their research.

Participants in this study respond to a series of questions about themselves and their experience of other cultures. The participants then answer a series of questions that measure responses on psychological scales that relate to peaceful tendencies. On December 1st, the ITP students and Dr. Roy will begin analyzing the data. The research group will compare reported experiences with scores on the relevant peace scales. It is hoped that compelling patterns will emerge from the data so that the research group can make recommendations that increasing certain types of life experience may increase peace in the world...cont'd

http://www.plebius.org/article.php?article=668

[G_j]

1. this sounds hopeful

a crucial subject for our future. I can't wait to hear their findings. :-)

[KoKo]

6. Will they contact those of US, here who protested and tried to stop this

"Crime of Humanity by Us" on "Defenseless folks" who were forced to defend themselves?...against all "International Law" and our own "Constitutional Laws" of the US?

Please...have them sign me up... they need folks like us...

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH This War against Iraq is again, like Vietnam... a CRIME...My ancestors didn't come to America and build it with their sweat and labor to see us behave like "Crusaders" or the "Ruling Classes Lust for Empire...like where we left there for...

It's horrendous...please...let this go to all of us who were against this "Pre-Emptive Strike Doctrine," that some "renegades" have foisted upon us...

I can't stand this killing anymore and I don't want the guilt and blood on my American hands by those coming home maimed, disgigured and not whole in body or spirit...we've been there and done that in Vietnam..when does the KILLING AND MAIMING EVER STOP???WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO TO STOP IT??? CAN WE STOP IT?

[LWolf]

7. no answers here

just a hug.

:hug:

Perhaps that is a longterm solution; we focus on developing and exercising empathy for others.

[DemExpat]

2. Probably "do unto others as you would want them to do unto you"

comes closest to a slogan to be made into a rule of law :-) for a peaceful world.

But this type of study is sorely needed, and I also will be eager to see their findings.

I always thought that the seeds of peace were sown in a developmental psychology light - how babies/children are treated and what they are exposed to.

DemEx

[LWolf]

3. This is a sleeping giant.

The lack of empathy is what makes, at the least, social dysfunction, and at its extreme, a sociopath.

We know some really simple, fundamental things about child development: children's brains are "wired" from birth on; they are making more neural connections, "pruning" unused connections, and "wiring" their brains for future experiences during the first 3 years of life than at any point after that. And here's an interesting clip:

<snip>

For every government dollar spent on preschool, society saves seven dollars. Today, the professional organization of prison wardens correlates the need for investing money in the first three years of life as a prevention with a later necessity to build prisons. They say that experiences from the prenatal period through the third year have direct results in the production of criminals and anti-societal people. (Karr-Morse and Wiley, 1997).

Childcare aimed at learning about others, about oneself, and learning how to control and use one's environment is invaluable.

http://www.educarer.com/brain.htm

I've been working for several years now in an educational "program" that balances academics with things like empathy, respect, open-mindedness, etc.; it gives equal weight to the development of these characteristics and the development of academic capabilities. I can tell you that it is a much bigger challenge than you might think.

Many kids have been "prewired" to work with these concepts; many have not. And whether you are working with conversation, ideas, academic skills, or interpersonal skills, the experiences they've had in the years before they start school have already wired them, or not, for success. That's the real "readiness" factor.

I wish we could pour some time and care and support into that conception - pre-school or school-age period.

[Desertrose]

4. fits right in with Kucinich's Dept of Peace

http://www.dopcampaign.org/

The Department would focus on nonmilitary peaceful conflict resolutions, prevent violence and promote justice and democratic principles to expand human rights. Domestically, the Department would be responsible for developing policies which address issues such as domestic violence, child abuse, mistreatment of the elderly, and other issues of cultural violence. Internationally, the Department would gather research, analyze foreign policy and make recommendations to the President on how to address the root causes of war and intervene before violence begins, while improving national security, including the protection of human rights and the prevention and de-escalation of unarmed and armed international conflict.


Dennis Kucinich in 08!!!

[LWolf]

5. Yes, it does.

I'm thinking that the DOP is a place to focus some of my attention and support in the next few years. It would be putting energy into the vision that we have for the world.

:hi:

[NJCher]

8. sooooooooo, everybody

What do you say we spend more than $500 billion a year on this type of research? And hey, let's forget accountability, too. If they want to go over by a billion or even 20 a year, what the hey.

-------------

Seriously. That's what we spend on defense and that's the attitude toward accountability. Transfer that to peace research to see how mindboggling it is for our country to be engaging in such destruction.

Kind of puts it in perspective, doesn't it?


Cher

[belle]

9. Oh, cool. I was thinking about applying to go there...