Linden L. Nelson

Toward an interdisciplinary model of barriers to nuclear arms control

Abstract The nuclear arms race is a powerful phenomenon with political, technical, historical, economic, and psychological dimensions. Most analyses concentrate on the political, technical, or historical dimensions to the neglect of the economic and psychological. This article seeks to correct this neglect, arguing that serious barriers to arms control arise from economic and psychological forces. Richard W. Mansbach critiques the article from the perspective of a political scientist. The authors rebut.

Peaceful Personality: Psychological Dynamics and Core Factors

The chapter begins by offering explanations for observed relationships between peacefulness across contextual domains. Why does inner peace relate to individuals’ attitudes and behaviors toward other people? Why does the interpersonal peacefulness of individuals relate to their attitudes about whether their nation should pursue cooperative or militaristic policies with other nations? Evidence is presented that shows reciprocal causal influences between intrapersonal and interpersonal peacefulness. Reasons for believing that interpersonal peacefulness influences attitudes about international relations are also discussed. This analysis of the dynamics of peaceful personality suggests a central role for interpersonal peacefulness as an important aspect of peaceful personality.

Peacefulness as a Personality Trait

Peaceful personality is defined as the consistent manifestation of peaceful states, attitudes, and behaviors over time and across relevant contextual domains. The chapter focuses on measurement tools and research on peacefulness in three contextual domains: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and international. Intrapersonal peacefulness is defined in several ways: (1) as accepting and nonviolent attitudes toward self, (2) as a state of harmony between aspects of self, and (3) as a disposition for emotional states such as serenity and fulfillment that are associated with experiencing harmony. Interpersonal peacefulness involves behavior and attitudes that are nonviolent and that create and maintain harmonious relationships with other persons. International peacefulness is defined as favorable attitudes toward nonviolent and cooperative relations with other nations. The chapter describes a wide variety of instruments for assessing peacefulness in each of these domains; provides evidence on reliability, validity, and stability for many of these instruments; and offers critical evaluation of their usefulness for assessing peaceful personality. The concept of peacefulness as a personality trait implies that some people show a consistent pattern of peaceful behavior, states, and attitudes across time and relevant domains. Reasons for expecting consistency in peacefulness are presented. A comprehensive review of relevant research suggests that intrapersonal peacefulness is moderately correlated with interpersonal peacefulness and that interpersonal peacefulness is moderately correlated with international peacefulness.

Personal Peacefulness: Expanding the Scope and Application of Peace Psychology

The concluding chapter discusses the role of personal peacefulness in peace psychology and the relationship of peace psychology to the broad field of psychology. The authors suggest that peace psychology is both an application of psychology and an approach to the discipline of psychology. Examples from each of the chapters of the book are used to illustrate how the contributors have expanded the scope and application of peace psychology.

Introduction to Personal Peacefulness: Psychological Perspectives

In this introductory chapter, the editors describe the subject and purpose of the book. Personal peacefulness is defined as the peacefulness of individuals, including inner peace, interpersonal peacefulness, and peaceful attitudes toward groups and nations. The book discusses the nature and determinants of peacefulness in each of these contextual domains and explores the possibility that peacefulness in any one domain relates to peacefulness in others. The book also addresses the relationship between personal peacefulness and well-being and introduces the concept of peaceful well-being. In addition, it describes various methods for enhancing the peacefulness of individuals. A major purpose of the book is to demonstrate that the study of personal peacefulness should be considered an essential aspect of peace psychology. The introductory chapter also describes evidence for the importance of peacefulness in all relationship domains, gives an overview of perspectives offered in the various chapters, and presents major issues to be addressed by the contributors.

Peace psychology should include the study of peaceful individuals.

The selection of topics for the special issue on peace psychology (October 2013) probably gave readers the impression that peace psychology should be defined as the study of conflict and peace at intergroup, societal, and global levels.

Student Reactions to Nuclear Education.

Some recent studies suggest that nuclear education does not inspire fear, and that some political beliefs are more subject to change than others. But more research is needed on the effects of different methods and content.