Psychology and Peace

Abstract

The relevance of psychology to the establishment of peace is reviewed in the context of the Bahá’í peace message. The peace message reflects the Bahá’í view that peace means considerably more than the absence of war and that peace will not be achieved until fundamental issues of unity and justice are addressed. The Universal House of Justice identified many barriers that stand in the way of universal peace, including racism, the inordinate disparity between rich and poor, religious strife, inequality of the sexes, nationalism, lack of educational opportunities for all peoples of the world. Given the Bahá’í perspective on peace, the author suggests that psychology has much to offer, since it has long been concerned with how these problems have affected individuals and society. Several areas in psychology are reviewed to illustrate how the science of psychology can be helpful in overcoming these barriers and establishing the spirit of unity so important to the development of a peaceful world.