Psychology of Peace, Conflict and Violence

Code:

LPSI219

Acronym:

PVCP

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Psychology

Instance: 2025/2026 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Psychology
Course/CS Responsible:	First degree in Psychology

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
LPSIC	34	Official Curricular Structure	2	-	3	30	81

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

- Understanding the history and foundations of the Psychology of Peace, violence and conflict

- Development of a critical and technically grounded view regarding phenomena within this field of knowledge

- Learning about the main theories and practices in this field, as well as its fundamental concepts

- Understanding the applicability of Psychology in this context at the micro, meso and macro levels

Learning outcomes and competences

By the end of the semester, students should:

 

- Have learned the main theoretical and historical foundations of Peace Psychology and be able to make pertinent and well-founded considerations about the psychosocial and critical framework of phenomena such as social inequality, poverty and violence (direct and structural) in its various forms;

- Master the main theoretical trends in this field, their weaknesses and potential.

- Know the main intervention strategies used in this field of knowledge and the associated scientific evidence;

- Understand the strategic importance that psychology can play in addressing the phenomena associated with peace, violence and conflict and master the interventional possibilities that it offers knowing how to adapt them to different local, regional and transnational contexts.

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. Socio-historical framework of violence as an anthropological constant;

- The different types of violence and conflict, their definitions and outlines;

1. Theoretical universe, its history and most relevant figures, strengths and weaknesses: Psychology of Peace, War and conflict; Critical psychology; Political psychology; Community psychology.


2. Objects

- Globalization and its social impact associated with phenomena such as exclusion or structural unemployment and associated symbolic interaction processes;

- Social inequality, poverty and structural and associated violence, namely policies such as the criminalization of poverty or securitarism;

- War, genocide, terrorism, state violence, their determinants and logic in geostrategic chess;

1. Action strategies

Critical discussion of interventional possibilities such as conflict resolution and strategies guided by the Psychology of non-violence, social activism and claimsmaking activity.

Mandatory literature

Aquilar, F. & Galluccio, M. (Eds); Psychological and political strategies for peace negotiation
Blumberg, H. H.; Hare, A. P. & Costin, A. ; Peace Psychology: a comprehensive introduction
Christie, D. (Ed.); The Encyclopedia of Peace Psychology
Dutton, D. ; The psychology of genocide, massacres, and extreme violence: Why normal people come to commit atrocities
Malley Morrison, K., McCarthy, S. & Hines, D. ; International handbook of war, torture, and terrorism (Peace Psychology Book Series).
Malley Morrison, K., Mercurio, A. & Twose, G. ; ). International handbook of peace and reconciliation (Peace Psychology Book Series)
McNair, R. ; The Psychology of Peace: an introduction

Teaching methods and learning activities

Teaching methodologies are based on an integrated matrix that combines:

- Expository method of the main theories, concepts and objects and respective discussion in an open format (in small and large groups);

- Group work, respective presentation and discussion in the classroom.

- Analysis and critical discussion of teaching materials (texts, videos, news, documentaries, etc.)

- Invitation to experts working in the field

keywords

Health sciences
Humanities
Social sciences

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Trabalho escrito	50,00
Trabalho prático ou de projeto	50,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	29,00
Frequência das aulas	30,00
Trabalho escrito	2,00
Elaboração de projeto	20,00
Total:	81,00

Eligibility for exams

The assessment is distributed along the semester, without a final exam. It is based on group work
 and individual written work, with each component weighing 50% and 50% in the final
 classification, respectively. To obtain approval in the UC, a minimum of 8 values
 ​​in each component is required, with 10 values ​​being the essential final average.

Calculation formula of final grade

The result will be the sum of the classifications obtained in the different evaluation components: 
- performance in the workgroup - 50%; 
- individual written report - 50%

All classifications will be expressed in values between 0 and 20.

It is not possble to improve the classification of both the components.