Page 181 - DMGT519_Conflict Management and Negotiation Skills

Unit 8: Role of Attitude and Persuasion

(d) An additional psychological principle is the contrast principle. Contrast affects the Notes
way we see things “that are presented one after another. Simply put, if the second
item is fairly different from the first, we will tend to see it as more different than it
actually is”. Cialdini gives the example of speaking with a beautiful woman at a
cocktail party, then speaking with an unattractive one. Because she came second,
that woman will seem even more unattractive than if she had been spoken with first.

8.16 Third Party Intervention

The terms “third party” and “intermediary” are both used to refer to a person or team of people
who become involved in a conflict to help the disputing parties manage or resolve it. Third
parties might act as consultants, helping one side or both sides analyze the conflict and plan an
effective response. Alternatively, they might act as facilitators, arranging meetings, setting
agendas, and guiding productive discussions. Facilitators will also usually record what was
said, and may write up a short report summarizing the discussions and any agreements that
were reached.

A more active and powerful third party role is that of mediator. Mediators not only facilitate
discussions, but they usually impose a structure and process on the discussions that is designed
to move the parties toward mutual understanding and win-win agreements. While many different
styles of mediation are common, most mediators have the conflicting parties sit down together
to explain to each other their views about the nature of the problem and how they think it might
best be solved. The mediator often tries to get the disputants to focus on underlying interests
(the things they really need or want) more than their initial opening positions (what they
initially say they need or want). By clarifying the divergent views and reasons for those views,
mediators can usually get the parties to develop a common understanding of the situation,
which often yields a solution which satisfies the interests of all parties. While some mediators
take a stronger role in option identification and selection than others, mediators do not have the
power to impose a solution. At most, they can suggest a solution, which the disputants may or
may not accept.
The most powerful third party role is that of an arbitrator. An arbitrator listens to presentations
made by both sides, examines written materials and other evidence relating to a case, and then
makes a determination of who is right and who is wrong, or how a conflict should be settled.
Usually, the arbitrator’s decision is binding and cannot be appealed. Thus, the arbitrator is the
most powerful type of intermediary. Arbitration works well when the parties simply want a
settlement, and do not worry about losing control of the process or the outcome. For parties that
want to maintain control, however, the other forms of intervention (mediation or facilitation)
are often preferred.
8.17 Eustress and Distress

Stress and anxiety are closely related: we might even consider the phenomena as two sides of the
same coin. The stressors, i.e., the elements within the environment (situations, experiences or
persons) which place the organism under stress always undergo a cognitive elaboration upon
which the person's reaction will depend to a large extent. Anxiety derives from such an elaboration,
as would occur for example in the case of a person who perceives a danger as real and wants to
be free from it. Stress is basically the first stimulation the organism experiences at the occurrence
of a modification of the equilibrium existing between the organism and the environment.
Anxiety is then one of the possible consequences.
There are two types of stress: 'eustress' (cf. Gr. 'eu', meaning good or positive) and distress (cf.
Gr. 'dys': meaning bad, negative or pathological). Eustress - or good stress - is an indispensable

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