4593 - BEARING WITNESS OR REMAINING SILENT? PSYCHOLOGICAL ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE PURSUIT OF PEACE

Session: 4593 - BEARING WITNESS OR REMAINING SILENT? PSYCHOLOGICAL ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE PURSUIT OF PEACE
AUTHORS:
Degirmencioglu Serdar M (President Society for Peace Psychology ~ Lucca ~ Italy) , Cooper Saths (University of Pretoria, Johannesburg, South-Africa ~ Pretoria ~ South Africa) , Hagenaars Polli (C5 - Private Practice ~ Amsterdam ~ Netherlands)
Abstract text:
In contexts of conflict, violence, and collective trauma, silence can feel protective—and speaking out can feel dangerous. Yet both carry psychological and ethical consequences. This round table invites reflection on the role of psychological accountability in peacebuilding: What does it mean to bear witness, individually and collectively? When does silence become complicity, and when might it be a form of care or survival? Martin Luther King Jr., Hannah Arendt, and Elie Wiesel have characterised indifference as a moral failure, highlighting the responsibility of everyone, including professionals, to bear witness and take action.
Participants will explore what accountability means for peacebuilding, and whether it is an ethical obligation not to remain silent in the face of injustice.