Transformative psychology #2: Trauma-informed structural change

The psychological challenges to bridging the gap between violent conflict containment and conflict transformation at times face major barriers when the structural circumstances that produced the outbreak of violence remain (Gaynor, 2016). Understandably, this presents emotional traps for individuals and collectives, at times devolving back to hot conflict. This can be particularly powerful in cases like wars in Congo, where the mortalities were greater than any war since World War II. The psychology of atrocity accumulation and therefore perduring trauma is a powerful force perennially subject to reignition, most significantly mitigated by transformation of structural injustices, structural violence, structural inequalities (leading to strong resentments of perceptions of relative deprivation).

References

Gaynor, N. (2016). The limits to community-based conflict resolution in North-East Congo. Community Development Journal, 51(2), 268–284. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsv015