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Key words
Group process, peace, power, relational practice, empowerment, cooperation, emancipatory nursing, conflict
Abstract
Purpose: To present the theoretical basis for the group process known as "Peace and Power."
Organizing Construct: A dialectic between two dominant forms of power- peace powers and power-over powers-forms the basis for a synthesis that yields an emancipatory group process characterized by praxis, empowerment, awareness, cooperation, and evolvement for individuals and groups.
Methods: Critical analysis of prevailing competitive group dynamics and the ideals of cooperative group dynamics was conducted to project the potential for achieving group interactions that yield profound changes in the direction of justice, empowerment, and well-being for all.
Conclusions: The theoretical framework of "Peace and Power" is consistent with characteristics of emancipatory integrity that are vital for social change.
Clinical Relevance: The processes of "Peace and Power" can be used to create peaceful, cooperative interactions among nurses, with other health professionals, with patients and families, and in communities.
"Peace and Power" is an emancipatory group process drawn from several traditions around the world for working together in cooperative and peaceful ways, and in ways that challenge the status quo and lead to social and political change in the direction of equality and justice for all. In the context of nursing, this process has deep and significant links to the underlying values of nurturing human potential, caring, and high-level wellness-not only for individuals, but for groups in which people live and work. The purpose of this article is to present a theoretical framework that explains the relationships between and among the theoretical concepts of the process.
Background
The process of "Peace and Power" was first described in a handbook for action (Wheeler & Chinn, 1984). The handbook emerged from the practices of women's community activist groups in Buffalo, New York, USA. The book, now in its eighth edition (Chinn, 2013c), has been used worldwide by a wide range of groups seeking exactly what the title suggests-peace (both inner peace for individuals and peaceful interactions in the group) and power (empowerment for all, and constructive ways to address individual and group power). A notable use of the process was in the dissertation study of Maureen Flaherty in the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of...