Book review. The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice.

Book Review
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Book Review
Part 1
Chapter 1
* Goal interdependence can either be positively or negatively collated. Individuals can take two actions. They can either take effective actions, which increase the chances of the actor to attain a goal or bungling actions which diminish the chances of the actor of obtaining a goal.
* It is advantageous to employ a cooperative problem-solving process as opposed to a competitive process which leads to a loss for all the parties
Chapter 2
* Injustice often takes six forms
* The distributive injustice which causes individuals to feel they received unfair outcome.
* Procedural injustice, concerned with unfair treatment when implementing decisions.
* The sense of injustice which entails whether an injustice is experienced.
* Retributive and reparative injustice, concerned about rectifying the violation.
* A moral exclusion which looks at the individuals included in the moral community.
* Cultural imperialism where a dominant group imposes its value system on a subordinate group.
* Perceived injustice is often a source of conflict.
* Where people perceive the outcome of a conflict as unjust, the conflict is likely to escalate.
Chapter 3
* Individuals who are relatively privileged can play a critical role in challenging inequality, privilege and construct structures of solidarity in the society.
* For instance, men are more willing to fight for the grievances of women on gender issues. Similarly, more white people are eager to fight for the rights of the claims of the Aboriginals.
* Dealing with the problem of inequality and privilege involves:
* Policy changes aimed at reducing inequality gaps through compressing social and organizational hierarchies.
* Policies and practices aimed meant to encourage cultural inclusivity.
* Organizational transformation to enable the distribution of resources and democratic participation.
Chapter 6
* Power refers to a stable characteristic of individuals. However, it is not merely determined by the qualities of individuals; rather it encompasses how they interact with the situation at hand.
* Using power, individuals can influence their environment, other people or satisfy their desires.
* Adaptive orientations to the conflict are more effective outcomes in the long-term. It is vital to use a combination of hard power (e.g., military) and soft power (e.g., moral) depending on different circumstances.
Chapter 7
* Human communication involves the transfer of ideas from one person to another.
* For the effectiveness of communication in conflict resolution, parties should:
* Restate the idea to avoid misunderstanding
* Try to understand what the other person is saying
* Consider how the listener will interpret the words
* Take into consideration into the perspective of the listener
* Listen actively
* Establish conditions that allow effective communication to take place.
Reflection
I have learned that competition is constructive where both the losers and winners gain, or destructive where only the winners gain. Instead of employing destructive competition, parties can agree to cooperate so that they can attain a win-win situation. I have also discovered that injustice can lead to conflict. As a result, ensuring justice is a way to minimize a majority of disputes which are common. Where people think that a resolution of a conflict is unjust, they are likely to reject it and become resistant towards any mode of conflict resolution. Negotiators should emphasize empathy as an essential component in attaining forgiveness and reconciliation. Chapter three has taught me that individuals who are privileged can take part in ensuring equality. Initially, I thought that privileged individuals are never interested in fairness and justice in the society. However, I have discovered that it is crucial to involve men in the struggle for gender equality. Lastly, chapter seven has helped me to understand the importance of effective communication in resolving conflicts.
Part 2
Chapter 11
* Negotiators are vulnerable to biases which can impact their ability to resolve a conflict.
* They can lead to more conflict and competition even where no conflict exists.
* Biases make it impossible to reach an agreement.
* Remedies for biases include
* Negotiating in teams
* Making teams accountable to a constituency
* Encouraging relationships among negotiators
* Using the most appropriate communication medium.
Chapter 12
* Conflict and emotions are at the center of conflicts and solutions
* Anger and hatred – People get angry when they feel hurt. The brain responds in retaliation to the perpetrator
* Humiliation – humiliation occurs where individuals feel degraded. It is a tool for unleashing mass violence.
* Guilt – Guilty occurs where people regret doing something they think they should not have done. It can hinder the healing of the victims
* It is essential for individuals in conflict to deal with negative emotions.
* Regulate anger, fear, and distress because they prevent effective communication
Chapter 17: Personality and Conflict
* Approaches to the study of personalities
* Idiographic – The idea that it is impossible to break down human behavior into constituent components.
* Nomothetic – The belief that a general element of behavior can be employed to describe a majority of individuals.
* Psychodynamic Theories
* Cover aggressive drives and social attachments
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