Mediation in intergroup conflict

Our families play a critical role in defining our social circle which in turn establishes the kind of groups we should associate with. As we move from one stage of human development to another, group affiliations continue to expand as we advance in age, education, and develop our talents. Groups are founded on shared interests, opinions, and perspectives about various aspects of life. Moreover, identifying with a particular group assures a person of improved interpersonal skills, enhanced productivity and performance, security, companionship, and personal growth. However, groups are likely to experience intergroup conflicts resulting from conflicting interests. Group members also play individual roles aimed at achieving personal goals. In fulfilling individualistic roles, some members initiate conflicts within the group through aggressive behaviors which in some instance can make some members become passive members.

There are also blockers whose role is complaining about trivial procedural matters which hinder group progress. Others act as self-confessors who use the group to express their emotional and personal concerns not relevant to the overall goal of the group. Additionally, members in a group play social-emotional roles aimed at building and maintaining relationships within a group. The mediator should, in turn, determine the resolution and help the parties to reach an agreement and eventually end the conflict. Mediators should also be able to express and present their ideas credibly to enhance their credibility in mediating the dispute. Mediators should not side with any party involved in the conflict, but they should rely on their perspectives to offer solutions. Perceiving the issue from the perspective of one party leads to unfairness and favoritism which in turn affects the reliability of the strategies adopted by the mediator.

Literature review According to a study by Gutenbrunner and Wagner (2016) successful mediation in solving intergroup conflicts involves the use of perspective taking techniques. The second group was instructed to take the part of the perspective taker and summarize the challenges faced by the other group based on their perspectives. The results of the study showed that after taking the perspective-taking White Americans held positive attitudes towards Mexican immigrants. Mexican immigrants also help positive attitudes towards white Americans after taking perspective giving roles (Bruneau and Sax, 2012). In another study conducted by Goldstein, Vezich, and Shapiro (2014), the aim is to determine the effects of perceived perspective taking on group conflicts. The study hypothesized that placing oneself in another person’s positions leads to positive attitudes towards that person.

We have interacted on various occasions especially in academics. We both relied on each other’s blog responses to finish our assignments. In most cases, my partner delayed in posting the blog responses which reduced his credibility as a trusted academic partner. He objectively focused on understanding each point I expressed through the blog. A critical review on the blog posts that we have had throughout the course shows that his ability to perceive things through my perspective significantly improved our credibility and relationships as academic partners. Perceptive taking in conflict mediation leads to improved social relations and positive attitudes among the conflicting parties. Thus, mediators should adopt useful perspective taking techniques to conduct successful conflict mediation. References Bruneau, E. G.