ABSTRACT
Chapter 7 represents a major break in the book, moving away from the negativism of systemic humiliation to explore the pro-social norm of compassion. This norm has primacy in the field of peacebuilding. Going beyond the obvious psychological point that many individual practitioners in this field are personally motivated by their compassion for the suffering of others. I argue that certain forms of practice give centrality to the norm of compassion. Three such practices are presented. First, the human rights agenda of the United Nations rests on the norm of compassion for vulnerable population groups. Second, certain “bottom-up” peace activities are motivated by sympathy for the potential victims of mass violence. Third, the norm of compassion is a critical element of peacebuilding in the form of interactive conflict resolution where representatives to conflicting parties engage in constructive dialogue to reverse the downward spiral of inter-group hostility. The chapter also reviews recent findings in social psychology that reveal how compassion can be induced under certain conditions.
