Psychologists for Social Responsibility Building Cultures of Peace PsySR uses psychological knowledge and skills to promote peace

	Gandhi’s cardinal principle throughout life involved the search for any wisdom
	or truth. Finding the truth and holding on to the truth within situation can be
	an arduous task requiring courage and discipline. Satyagraha as discussed and
	used by Gandhi can be understood on at least two levels.
	First, it refers to the process of developing an understanding of any situation
	and the points of view of all individuals who are involved with it. Satyagraha
	which can be translated to mean “Soul Force” serves in this regard
	as a process to vindicate the truth. In trying to understand the validity of each
	viewpoint Gandhi was well aware of his limitations and and those of any
	human being trying to establish absolute truth. Given these limitations,
	he believed we can never be sure if we, as one side of a conflict, are correct
	in our position or if our adversaries, on the other side of a conflict, have
	truth on their side. Therefore, while Gandhi viewed the pursuit of truth as
	an ongoing aspect of life which was never fully achievable in a complete
	sense, satyagraha was an important orientation to maintain on an individual
	level.

	From this perspective there is no place for violence against property
	as it would in no way bring one closer to truth.

	The second interpretation for the term satyagraha is as a positive peace
	building strategy on a larger societal level. In this second sense satyagraha
	is a process of civil disobedience or nonviolent resistance.
	It is a process the usage of this reference to the term satyagraha which helped
	India attain independence from Great Britain and which had a profound
	impact on other peace builders such as Martin Luther King Jr.

	Satyagraha is a method whereby grievances could successfully challenge an
	established political order. Bondurant (1965) has outlined the steps of a typical
	satyagraha movement which is designed to confront unjust laws and policies.
	It would start with an effort to resolve the conflict through established
	channels and accepted protocol. Should these methods prove ineffective,
	systematic planning for the group to take direct action would begin. Following
	an active propaganda campaign involving demonstrations, parades, etc., a final
	strong appeal or ultimatum to one’s opponent would be made which would
	explain the steps that will be undertaken if no agreement can be reached.
	Depending on the nature of the grievances and the specific situation,
	the subsequent actions taken may involve boycotts, strikes, and other forms
	of non-cooperation such as nonpayment of taxes. Those who take part in the
	movement are called Satyagrahi.

	PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS FOR THE SUCCESS OF SATYAGRAHA


	Gandhi implemented satyagraha successfully in many contexts (Gandhi, 1951,
	1957/1927). How can we explain the success of this method Gandhi called a
	satyagraha? Gandhi’s advocacy of nonviolent responses and the resultant
	self-suffering by satyagrahis in the face of violent treatment ran counter to the
	expectations of the British and the rest of the world. From Gandhi’s point of view
	the goal of satyagraha was to awaken the conscience tendency is to attribute
	their behavior to their positive moral disposition.

	Violence against property would feed into expectations of those that wish to
	pursue globalization and would therefore not serve your groups' purposes.

	Not only were the peaceful satyagrahis viewed favorably according to world
	opinion, but there were additional psychological dynamics that influences the
	British to focus on the unjust nature of their actions. The self-serving bias
	involves the tendency of people to take less credit for failures than they do for
	their successes. When the Satyagrahi provoked the British to enforce unjust
	laws and to engage in violent actions, the British attributed their negative actions
	to the external situation and focused on the policies and circumstances that
	“required” them to behave unjustly. Nonviolence made the British aware that
	they were subjugating India.


	For this dynamic to operate the Satyagrahi needed to behave consistent with the
	moral high ground to make the British realize that they no longer could say that
	they were more moral or correct than the Indians. Violence toward people or
	property would both result in this advantage being lost.


	In addition Gandhi’s nonviolent strategies engaged people in his thoughtful
	analysis of social injustice. A person who is being persuaded with serious
	thought to the relevant points has their attitudes changed in a more long term
	basis. Because satyagraha was so different than what people expected, the
	focus on the content of the message was enhanced and thus more serious
	thought was given to the message and a more enduring change was a result.


	Violence toward property will direct the attention of those that want
	to globalize issues that are different from the issues which would
	encourage a long term relationship.
	-Dan Mayton

	Psychologists for Social Responsibility Building Cultures of Peace PsySR uses psychological knowledge to promote peace with social justice at the community, national and international levels.