ABSTRACT
Developing a peace commitment can produce dramatic changes in friendship, as ties weaken to friends who are lukewarm or resistant to peace action and more time is spent with fellow activists. Activist commitments develop within the micromobilization contexts where local peace groups work and the macromobilization arena where national and international events and larger political forces shape local agendas, projects, and opportunities. Where persisters differed from shifters and dropouts was in their stronger attention to peace and nonviolence issues and their belief that a continuing commitment to peace activism was essential for making the desired changes. Shifters refocused their altruism on social issues other than peace partly because they reached a point where they felt other social issues were more urgent. Persisters shared a vision of a peaceful world, agreed that eliminating war, violence, and social injustice was the way to realize that vision, and adopted peace activism as a life-long commitment.
