Indigenous Psychology, Altruism, and Peace Studies
Indigenous Psychology
Indigenous psychology is the system of psychological thought and practice that is rooted in a particular cultural tradition. It is indigenous because the knowledge derived is not borrowed or imposed from outside. It attempts to look at reality from the native’s point of view as they have conceived, perceived, and understood it.
Produced naturally in a region, it belongs naturally to the soil, originating, developing, or produced naturally in a particular land, region, or environment. Indigenous refers to nativity, or that which is not planted from another region. It is designed for natives. It is local.
- Cultural traditions give rise to psychological knowledge.
- Real information or data of psychology lies in the daily, mundane activity of people rather than artificially induced behavior inside the laboratory.
- Implied emic orientation, requiring indigenous psychological knowledge to be achieved and interpreted in terms of the local frames of reference.
- It attempts to develop a behavioral science that matches the sociocultural realities of one’s own society, reflecting its historical and cultural traditions (as Sinha states).
Altruism
Altruism or selflessness is the principle or practice of concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core aspect of various religious traditions and secular worldviews, though the concept of “others” toward whom concern should be directed can vary among cultures and religions. Altruism or selflessness is the opposite of selfishness. The word was coined by the French philosopher Auguste Comte in French, as altruisme, for an antonym of egoism. He derived it from the Italian altrui, which in turn was derived from Latin alteri, meaning “other people” or “somebody else”.
Peace Psychology
Peace Psychology is a subfield of Psychology and Peace Research that deals with the psychological aspects of peace, conflict, violence, and war. Peace psychology can be characterized by four interconnected pillars: (1) research, (2) education, (3) practice, and (4) advocacy.
Peace psychological activities are based on psychological models (theories) and methods; they are usually normatively bound in their means and objectives by working towards the ideal of sustainable peace using (as far as possible) non-violent means. Violence and peace are usually defined in terms of Johan Galtung’s extended conceptualization of peace, according to which peace is not merely the absence of personal (direct) violence and war (negative peace), but also the absence of structural (indirect) and cultural violence (positive peace). The ideal of peace can also be conceptualized as the comprehensive implementation of human rights (civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights); this should, among other purposes, ensure the satisfaction of basic human needs, such as positive personal and social identity, sense of control, security, (social) justice, well-being, a safe environment, and access to adequate food and shelter.
Conflict Reduction and Resolution
Different peace psychological strategies for non-violent conflict resolution are discussed (conflict de-escalation, conflict resolution, conflict transformation). One can distinguish between strategies on the official level (e.g., measures of tension reduction and trust build such as Charles E. Osgood’s “Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension Reduction” [GRIT], negotiations, mediation), approaches of unofficial diplomacy (interactive problem-solving workshops), and strategies at the level of peace and conflict civil society (e.g., peace journalism, contact between social groups).
Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension Reduction
One approach to de-escalation is GRIT, an approach developed by Charles Osgood. In his original writing, he said it stood for “graduated and reciprocated initiatives in tension reduction”; later he simplified this to gradual reduction in tension. The basic idea is that a disputant can initiate de-escalation by making a small, unilateral (one-sided) concession to the other side, and at the same time, communicating a desire or even an expectation that this gesture will be matched with an equal response from the opponent. If the opponent does respond positively, the first party can make a second concession, and a “peace spiral” is begun. If the first initiative is ignored, Osgood suggests that it be followed by a second or even a third attempt. These concessions should be designed to build trust, but should not be terribly costly (materially or strategically), nor should they suggest weakness. However, they should indicate a willingness to transform the conflict to a more cooperative and less adversarial approach.
Example: Anwar Sadat’s trip to Jerusalem in 1977 was one example of GRIT at work. Before his trip, hostility and suspicion between Egypt and Israel was very high, and several wars had already occurred. In 1977, Sadat announced that he wanted to visit Jerusalem to increase trust and to diminish tensions between the two nations. The trip cost him very little, while it greatly improved his image in Israel and with its allies, and led to the historic Camp David Accords a year later.
Prejudice and Discrimination
Prejudice and discrimination have been prevalent throughout human history. Prejudice has to do with the inflexible and irrational attitudes and opinions held by members of one group about another, while discrimination refers to behaviors directed against another group. Being prejudiced usually means having preconceived beliefs about groups of people or cultural practices. Prejudices can either be positive or negative—both forms are usually preconceived and difficult to alter. The negative form of prejudice can lead to discrimination, although it is possible to be prejudiced and not act upon the attitudes. Those who practice discrimination do so to protect opportunities for themselves by denying access to those whom they believe do not deserve the same treatment as everyone else.
Ethnography
Ethnography (from Greek ethnos “folk, people, nation” and grapho “I write”) is the systematic study of people and cultures. It is designed to explore cultural phenomena where the researcher observes society from the point of view of the subject of the study. An ethnography is a means to represent graphically and in writing the culture of a group.