Pacifist or Peace Psychology? Overcoming Naïve Pacifism to Foster a True Science of Peace‐Making
Journal: Conflict Resolution Quarterly
Year: 2025

ABSTRACT Recent geopolitical events have exposed critical gaps in the ability of peace and conflict psychology (PCP) to engage with conflicts beyond intractable or postwar contexts. This paper introduces the concept of “naïve pacifism” to describe underlying assumptions in PCP that may limit its ability to address complex modern conflicts effectively. Three pillars of naïve pacifism are identified: (1) the homeostatic view of peace as the natural state and violence as a dysfunction, (2) the beli