Insights from neuroscience: How trauma and identity influence peace negotiations
"Understanding the neuronal mechanisms and psychological processes that underlie positive change could equip us with a powerful toolbox for peacebuilding efforts."- Timothy Phillips, Founder and CEO of Beyond Conflict.
As conflicts escalate globally, the urgency for effective peacebuilding strategies becomes ever more apparent. On 18 January, the Berghof Foundation invited cognitive and neuroscientists as well as peacebuilders to discuss how insights from neuroscience can advance peacebuilding. This event was leading up to The Berlin Moot, a conference that will provide an interdisciplinary approach to develop urgently needed methods and tools to address the current complexity of war and conflict.
Insights from the event illustrate that neuroscience helps us: 1) develop evidence-based approaches, 2) re-evaluate commonly used practices, and 3) differentiate widely acknowledged assumptions.
Insights from neuroscience shape evidence-based approaches to trauma and identity
Our brains’ primary function is survival — not to accurately interpret the world, said Michael Niconchuk during the panel discussion. Scans show that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can lead to an overactive emotional center (amygdala), fostering a constant state of paranoia, alertness, and mistrust as a survival mechanism. The mind begins to perceive the world in black and white, and nuances and complexities are no longer acknowledged.
This sheds light on challenges faced during peace negotiations.
Everyone around the negotiation table has, in some way or another, experienced the effects of war. A person with trauma enters flight-or-fight mode more easily. The nervous system becomes overly active, releasing stress hormones such as cortisol and noradrenaline when the threat response is triggered. This leads to a corresponding decrease in prefrontal cortex functions such as logical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities. In other words, the cognitive tools that enable successful peace negotiations are reduced during a trauma reaction. Colette Rausch, a longstanding bridgebuilder between peacebuilding and brain sciences, stresses the importance of letting the nervous system calm down in these moments and taking a break from negotiations. Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of trauma reactions can equip mediators and negotiators with the tools needed to navigate these challenges. This involves being attentive to potential triggers, fostering a safe environment, and being able to apply a trauma lens throughout the negotiation process.
Neuroscientific research further highlights the interplay between identity and group dynamics. According to cognitive scientist Michael Niconchuk, our brain operates within a complex web of historical, cultural, and relational contexts. Timothy Phillips further notes that we are not merely rational beings, but rather emotional ones whose rational reactions depend upon the acknowledgment and understanding of our core identities. When someone's identity or group membership is threatened in negotiations, it often triggers defensive responses that intensify identification with the very aspects of identity under attack (e.g. gender, religion, ideology). In those with strong group identification, criticism or attacks against their group activates the brain regions associated with the self. This underscores how closely the construction of the self is intertwined with group identity - to the extent that threats to the group are perceived as threats to the self. Additionally, neuroscience has uncovered differences in how the self is represented in the brain across individualistic and collectivistic societies, indicating that the social and cultural context significantly shapes the neurological underpinnings of identity, as Michael Niconchuk pointed out. These insights highlight the importance of approaching identity-related issues with sensitivity. This involves being aware of very strong defensive reactions when someone's group identity is criticised, as well as seeing individuals as multifaceted beings possessing multiple identities beyond just one group they belong to. It also highlights the importance of supporting identity transformation processes, e.g., when armed actors reorganize into political parties.
For insights from neuroscience on 2) re-evaluating commonly used practices, and 3) differentiating widely acknowledged assumptions, see our upcoming blog post.
