Peace is a word everyone uses, but few of us stop to define it. In peace studies, scholars draw a crucial distinction between two very different kinds of peace: negative peace and positive peace. Understanding the difference changes how we respond to conflict — at home, in our communities, and across the world. At the Mridha International Institute of Peace & Happiness (MIIPH), this distinction is where our peace curriculum begins.
What is negative peace?
Negative peace is the absence of direct violence. It is the ceasefire, the end of a war, the moment the fighting stops. Because it is visible and measurable, negative peace is often what we picture when we imagine a “peaceful” situation: no gunfire, no open conflict, no fear of immediate harm.
But negative peace is fragile. It treats the symptom — violence — without addressing the causes that produced it. A conflict can be paused without any of the underlying grievances, inequalities, or misunderstandings being resolved. When those root causes remain, tension simmers beneath the surface and violence can return.
What is positive peace?
Positive peace is the presence of the conditions that allow people and communities to flourish: justice, equality, mutual understanding, and cooperation. It is the absence of what peace researcher Johan Galtung called structural violence — the harm built into systems through poverty, hunger, discrimination, and lack of opportunity.
Where negative peace is declared, positive peace is built. It grows through dialogue, education, fair institutions, and everyday acts of kindness and empathy. Positive peace asks more of us, but it delivers something far more durable: a society that does not merely avoid conflict, but actively cultivates well-being.
Why the difference matters
If we aim only for negative peace, we settle for the absence of fighting and call it success. History shows how quickly that kind of peace unravels. Positive peace sets a higher bar — and a more hopeful one. It reframes peace not as a fixed state to be won once, but as a process we build together, one relationship and one decision at a time.
The two are not opposites so much as stages. Negative peace stops the harm; positive peace makes sure it does not come back. A truly peaceful community needs both.
Inner peace and positive peace
There is one more dimension that formal definitions often leave out: peace begins within. It is difficult to build understanding with others when we are at war with ourselves. This is why MIIPH pairs peace with happiness — and why our courses give as much attention to inner peace as to social peace. As our founder, Dr. Debasish Mridha, MD, puts it, “Be the light of peace to drive away the darkness of hatred.”
Building positive peace through education
Positive peace is a skill set as much as an ideal, and skills can be taught. That belief is the reason MIIPH exists. Our free, self-paced online curriculum moves learners from Friend of Peace to Ambassador of Peace, beginning with the very distinction you have just read. Course 1 introduces the language of peace and conflict; later courses build practical tools for resolving disputes and promoting peace in your own community.
Start your journey to positive peace
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Learn more about MIIPH and our founder, Dr. Debasish Mridha.