Conflict, Peace, and Ontological Security

Abstract

Freedom from anxiety; Security of being; Security of the self Definition/Description Ontological security denotes the ability of actors to maintain their biographical continuity and a healthy sense of self. It is maintained through routines and stable relationships with significant others. When actors are ontologically secure, they do not pose fundamental questions related to existence, finitude, autobiography, and relations. This allows them to maintain cognitive control of their environment, go on with daily life, and have a sense of purposeful agency. Ontological security is unmade by critical situations, unpredictable events that catch actors off guard and rupture their routines. As a result of crises, actors cannot sustain their narratives about the self and others, which is generating debilitating anxiety. Although the concept of ontological security was coined by psychologists and initially developed by sociologists, it has also travelled to International Relations (IR) where scholars have used to make sense of world politics, including peace and conflict.