Psychological reconciliation: National and international perspectives

Abstract

In Australia and in countries around the world, histories of oppression and armed conflict have shattered social trust, inflicted profound physical and psychological damage, and created deeply divided societies. To break cycles of violence and build peace, it is vital to work on reconciliation, a multi-disciplinary task that has important psychological dimensions. This paper develops a tripartite framework for conceptualising reconciliation as a process of systems change that involves coming to terms with the past, building peace and nonviolent conflict resolution, and establishing social justice. Work on reconciliation needs to be multicultural, since reconciliation may have different meanings and may involve different processes in different cultural contexts. To impose western views and methods may inflict damage and continue the history of oppression. By working in partnership with local communities, psychologists may help to create culturally relevant approaches that integrate local resources with western views and tools. Using examples from an international symposium conducted at the University of Melbourne, the paper examines how psychological organisations may contribute to multicultural approaches to reconciliation. Citing examples from various sub-areas of psychology, it identifies specific, psychologically relevant tasks on which psychologists may contribute to reconciliation through research, education, training, and practice.