such as identity, positive belonging, protection and purpose – demand in return from their members to adopt norms of violence toward outgroups.11
For all of the above-mentioned reasons, trauma remains to be one of the root causes of “intractable conflict”12 that jeopardizes social cohesion and development as long as it remains unaddressed by society. It is imperative for peace-building and social reconstruction to design interventions that prevent victimization, and protect the victims’ ability to contribute to a positive, respectful, caring and cooperative relationship climate.13 ‘Peace’ – i.e., “the harmonious intrapsychic, interpersonal, and intragroup cooperation among entities involved”14 – requires ‘socio-emotionally intelligent’ governance inputs15 that protect citizens from socially-constructed uncertainties.16 Violence and conflict, on the other hand, enhance psychosocial distress, and weaken people’s ability for adaptive self-regulation, cooperation and rational problem-solving,17 which may lead to renewed conflict, unproductive lives, and ultimately to a deterioration of a nation’s social capital.18