Beyond Intractability: A Free Knowledge Base on More Constructive Approaches to Destructive Conflict
Abstract of "Emotion, Alienation, and Narratives: Resolving Intractable Conflict" by Retzinger, S., and Scheff, T.
Citation: Retzinger, S., and Scheff, T. "Emotion, Alienation, and Narratives: Resolving Intractable Conflict." Mediation Quarterly, 2000. 18 (12). . http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/faculty/scheff/16.html
This Abstract written by: Author Abstract
Author Abstract
"This article explores the role of emotion and alienation in protracted conflict, making preliminary suggestions as to how they might be managed. First we note the slight attention given these topics in the mediation/negotiation literature. Then we show how emotional/relational issues are related to theories of economic/political interests, on the one hand, and narratives and ideologies of conflict, on the other. We focus on the way alienated relationships impair communication, and the way they generate intense emotions, especially shame and anger. In our view, secret (unacknowledged) alienation and shame are the primary causes of intractable conflict. Finally, we propose a role for mediators in the acknowledgment of emotion and alienation as a way of resolving intractable conflicts."
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. -- Nelson Mandela
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