A cultural press for peace

In this chapter, the author considers some such ways in which psychotherapists’ psychotherapeutic science might contribute to a cultural press for peace even at the stage of knowledge and theory presently available to them. He aims to develop ideas towards this goal on two levels. These are: on the level of basic psychological principles that could be infused into the very lifestream of our cultures, and hence into the machinery for everyday human experiencing of species; and on the level of several illustrative psycho-educational projects which embody the principles in efforts with target groups in the community of man. The larger goal of psychological science is to contribute to the evolution of a culture-wide consciousness of man’s capacity to choose and affirm life over death. Often teachers of history speak to pupils routinely and all too matter-of-factly of so many human beings who were killed in the war of such-and-such.