Locations for advice‐giving and the production of neutrality in divorce mediation sessions

Abstract

In this paper I use a conversation analytic approach to investigate the relationship between the location of advice within a mediation session and the mediator's construction of a neutral stance. I find that while mediator advice is often placed after disputant disagreements, problem statements, or position statements, these locations may present challenges for mediator neutrality. On the other hand, the placement of advice within a mediator's extended turn or monologue may insulate it from disputants' prior utterances so that the advice can be given without challenging the mediator's neutral stance.