Practice of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) was developed and promoted by Dr Marshall Rosenberg Ph.D from 1960s. Marshall Rosenberg is also referred as the Father of Nonviolent Communication by some.
Marshall Rosenberg was in Clinical Psychology practice. He was seeing some challenges in how clinical psychology is practiced and how our habitual language, thinking, ways of communicating and social structures & systems contribute to emotional & physical violence and alienation from life within ourselves and from life in others.
In the exploration of potentially more life-serving practices and ways language, thinking & communicating emerged (NVC) Nonviolent Communication - A Language of Life or A Language of Compassion.
In childhood Marshall could see violence around him, and he got curious about 'What gets into people that makes them behave in violent ways?', and on the other hand he could see people who were acting compassionately even in challenging or difficult situations.So he was also curious about what helps people to remain or be compassionate.
Initially he thought there may something in peoples brain or nature which makes them act violently, that can be studied.
When times came for him to go to university and choose career, he chose to study Psychology, and did Ph.D
There some of his professors helped him see some of the challenges in how Psychology is practiced and applied. Like, how there may not be scientific basis or even consensus on how mental health conditions are diagnosed, political dangers of use of psychology and how structures existing in society have life-alienating influence on emotional & mental wellbeing.
Marshall also explored on 'How we are meant to live?'. As he thought he would find some answers in religion, he also studied comparative religion.
Marshall also was inspired from Martin Luther King, and philosophy, idea and actions of Mahatma Gandhi (M K Gandhi), related to 'Ahimsa' which is word in Indian languages for Non-Violence.
Being student of Psychologist Carl Rogers, Marshall Rosenberg's NVC also derives influences from Humanistic Psychology
Marshall was not very comfortable practicing Clinical Psychology in traditional ways. He was also noticing that people were healing rather quickly and benefitting more in this alternative practice of NVC he was developing. He wanted these practices to be shared, and he started travelling sharing these practices throughout the country of United States.