Towards a Social Psychology of Peace

Why has the idea of a common humanity, as formulated in the Russell-Einstein appeal of 1955 and in the pronouncements of the contemporary peace movements, had so little practical impact? This article outlines some structures and processes in the social life of states and deals with the question of how collective learning is affected by them. Emphasis is put not on imperatives and rules determining actions in systemic processes, but rather on the way in which individuals, with subjective needs and wishes, cope with these imperatives and rules when acting as representatives of the state. Pathological traits within political roles in the realm of state sovereignty are exemplified in Robert Kennedy's book on the Cuban missile crisis. The institutionalized separation of the subjective-human and objective-systemic demands has also been analysed in the everyday life of citizens The dominating patterns of action in the roles of everyday life have been found, in an empirical investigation, to correspond to those in political roles. These findings support the thesis that suppressed subjectivity feeds a collective unconscious process of seeking compensation in the realm of national armament and security policy.