Introduction: Overcoming historical conflicts and coping with collective violence

Abstract

Psychological science has the potential to contribute to reconciliation processes in conflict areas throughout the world. In such way it has the possibility to help reconstruct the social fabric of a community and help heal individual and collective mistreatments. In this introduction a general overview of the importance of reconciliation and apologies in situations of collective and political violence will be presented. The importance of understanding how our recall of historical acts allows us to interpret not only the past but also present day situations will also be mentioned. Finally, overviews of the articles included in the Special Issue of the Revista de Psicología Social are also given.