Intractable Conflict as an Attractor: Presenting a Dynamical-Systems Approach to Conflict, Escalation, and Intractability

Coleman, Peter T.; Vallacher, Robin R.; Nowak, Andrzej; Bui-Wrzosińska, Lan

doi:10.2139/ssrn.1066810

Cited by 51 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The project ended in a formal agreement that hid a serious impasse. Over time, the issue of implementing the forest restoration evolved into a protracted or intractable confl ict (Gray 2003;Shmueli et al 2006;Coleman et al 2007). …”

Section: Escalation Of the Confl Ictmentioning

confidence: 99%

The discursive construction of conflict in participatory forest management: The case of the Agoua forest restoration in Benin

et al. 2011

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The discursive construction of conflict in participatory forest management: the case of the Agoua forest restoration in Benin Idrissou, L.; Aarts, M.N.C.; van Paassen, A.; Leeuwis, C. General rightsIt is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Disclaimer/Complaints regulationsIf you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: http://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. AbstractThe Agoua Forest in Benin was declared a protected area in 1953 and subsequently managed by means of a coercion system, which, however, did not prevent its deforestation. In 2002, a participatory management process was designed to restore this forest. Although the project managers and local communities agreed to a plan at the beginning of the process, the plan was not implemented because confl ict arose in the course of the process. In this paper, an interactional framing approach was used to analyse the emergence of this confl ict, which ended in an impasse. This study showed that the confl ict was constructed and evolved mainly in stakeholders' discourses, even without changes in actual forest management and use. Moreover, it became clear that stakeholders constructed different frames in different conversation contexts: stakeholders, who share a set of perceptions, norms, and expectations as constructed and expressed in their talks (we-groups), constructed stereotypes and stigmas, blaming the other party and presenting themselves as innocent victims. In conversations involving all stakeholders, people did not reveal their real thoughts, either about each other or about the proposals for confl ict resolution. This study shows the relevance and agency of discourse in confl ict, and the importance of the interactional framing approach in understanding participatory management, and confl ict dynamics. It reveals how by means of discourses, farmers in the Agoua Forest succeeded in handling the confl ict, with the effect that little has been done in the project's decision to implement the plan.

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Section: Escalation Of the Confl Ictmentioning

confidence: 99%

The discursive construction of conflict in participatory forest management: The case of the Agoua forest restoration in Benin

et al. 2011

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“…Estos autores invitan a pensar los conflictos intratables como la interacción dinámica de múltiples elementos que definen la relación entre los patrones psicológicos internos de las personas, y su forma de relación inter e intra grupal (Coleman;Vallacher;Nowak y Bui-Wrzosinska, 2007:1457-1463. La propuesta de Coleman, Vallacher, Nowak y Bui-wrzosinska aplica la lógica sistémica al entender que las dinámicas de interdependencia que afectan a las variables del conflicto, se modifican entre sí a través de procesos de retroalimentación positiva o negativa, según la cual la activación de una variable de conflicto empuja a las demás en la misma tendencia.…”

Section: Morfología De La Intratabilidadunclassified

“…Para Coleman, Vallacher, Nowak y Bui-wrzosinska (2007:1457-1463) esta dinámica de retroalimentación se observa desde la interacción que va desde las fuerzas promotoras del conflicto (intereses, agravantes, etc. ), y la intensidad con la que se desarrolla la confrontación.…”

Section: Morfología De La Intratabilidadunclassified

“…El sistema adquiere entonces su carácter intratable cuando la distancia entre las fuerzas promotoras del conflicto y la intensidad del mismo alcanza un punto catastrófico de cambio, determinado por el nivel de violencia ejercido por las partes, en el que en la práctica los diferentes elementos del sistema conflictivo se fusionan, y las variable se independiza de la voluntad y acción de los actores y factores promotores del conflicto, convirtiendo a la violencia en una dinámica impulsada y retroalimentada por las condiciones del contexto, extensible a la totalidad de los conjuntos sociales, sin el control centralizado de los liderazgos intra grupales (Coleman;Vallacher;Nowak y Bui-Wrzosinska, 2007:1460.…”

Section: Morfología De La Intratabilidadunclassified

“…Este fenómeno es entendido por los autores como la reducción, a una estructura simple de relación directa, de la multiplicidad de campos y espacios en los cuales se desarrollan las interacciones y relaciones humanas (Coleman;Vallacher;Nowak y Bui-Wrzosinska, 2007:1463-1467.…”

Section: Morfología De La Intratabilidadunclassified

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De los conflictos complejos: naturaleza, estructura y morfología de los conflictos intratables e imperecederos

Rivera

Carvajal

2013

Rev. relac. int. estrateg . segur .

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RESUMENEn el presente artículo se aborda la naturaleza de los conflictos, sus principales componentes estructurales y su composición morfológica, desde el cambio de perspectiva (no lineal, ni determinista) propuesto por las teorías de la complejidad para las ciencias sociales. El análisis se centra en el estudio de los conflictos intratables, como fenómeno en el que interactúan de forma dinámica e interdependiente múltiples variables, creando un sistema complejo al que es necesario abordar como un todo y no por sus componentes particulares.

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High Conflicts as Wicked Problems from the Perspective of Family Counsellor and Child Welfare Services in Norway

Heggdalsvik

Lorås

Samsonsen

2022

ANZ J of Family Therapy

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This article explores professionals’ understanding and experiences of parental high conflicts in Norwegian family counsellor and child welfare services. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, examining four focus group interviews with a total of 24 professionals. We used tame and wicked problems as a theoretical frame of reference in order to discuss how high conflict cases can be understood. The analysis shows that the complexity and experiences of high conflicts challenge professionals in their assessments and development of solutions. Our conclusion is that the nature of the complexity, unpredictability, and instability of high conflicts fits within the framework of wicked problems.

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Intractable Conflict as an Attractor: Presenting a Dynamical-Systems Approach to Conflict, Escalation, and Intractability

Cited by 51 publications

References 33 publications

The discursive construction of conflict in participatory forest management: The case of the Agoua forest restoration in Benin

The discursive construction of conflict in participatory forest management: The case of the Agoua forest restoration in Benin

De los conflictos complejos: naturaleza, estructura y morfología de los conflictos intratables e imperecederos

High Conflicts as Wicked Problems from the Perspective of Family Counsellor and Child Welfare Services in Norway

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