Abstract:Models of mediation based on negotiation assume that participants can think and act rationally, whereas in reality, when individuals are overwhelmed by anger and pain, their capacity for reason and logic diminishes. Family mediators need to appreciate the intensity of the irrational feelings and reactions they see in mediation and to consider their personal impact. Mediators can help to contain family crises by adapting the family crises by adapting the model and methods in this article to fit different levels… Show more
“…They lamented the lack of emotional‐management training given to mediators in international disputes. Others, working with emotionally charged divorce and family cases, have made similar suggestions (e.g., Meierding, 2004; Parkinson, 2000).…”
Section: Emotional Intelligence Leadership and Mediationmentioning
A scenario‐based laboratory experiment investigated how emotional intelligence (EI) influences informal mediation. A 2 × 2 factorial design varied subjects' EI level (high vs. low) and whether disputant hostility was escalating or de‐escalating. Dependent variables included mediation goals and tactics. Results indicated that high EI mediators were more likely than low EI mediators to pursue the goal of achieving an overall mutually satisfactory agreement. High EI mediators were more likely than low EI mediators to report a willingness to use a larger number of mediation tactics to promote a compromise. By contrast, low EI mediators were more likely to endorse using pressing, compensating, and inaction techniques. Results suggest that individual differences in EI should be considered in future mediation research.
“…They lamented the lack of emotional‐management training given to mediators in international disputes. Others, working with emotionally charged divorce and family cases, have made similar suggestions (e.g., Meierding, 2004; Parkinson, 2000).…”
Section: Emotional Intelligence Leadership and Mediationmentioning
A scenario‐based laboratory experiment investigated how emotional intelligence (EI) influences informal mediation. A 2 × 2 factorial design varied subjects' EI level (high vs. low) and whether disputant hostility was escalating or de‐escalating. Dependent variables included mediation goals and tactics. Results indicated that high EI mediators were more likely than low EI mediators to pursue the goal of achieving an overall mutually satisfactory agreement. High EI mediators were more likely than low EI mediators to report a willingness to use a larger number of mediation tactics to promote a compromise. By contrast, low EI mediators were more likely to endorse using pressing, compensating, and inaction techniques. Results suggest that individual differences in EI should be considered in future mediation research.
“…Such resistance can be related to the parents' wishing to avoid the pain or their difficulty of changing (Forrester, Westlake, & Glynn, ). Research from the mediation field indicates that such work involves parents who come to mediation in a very angry or fragile state (Parkinson, ). Carol said, Many have major inner struggles.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Such resistance can be related to the parents' wishing to avoid the pain or their difficulty of changing (Forrester, Westlake, & Glynn, 2012). Research from the mediation field indicates that such work involves parents who come to mediation in a very angry or fragile state (Parkinson, 2000). Carol said, A key element in positive outcomes is the quality of the relationship developed between the parents who are engaged in conflict and the therapists or social workers (Lundberg & Moloney, 2010).…”
Social workers within child protection services report that families marked by high levels of conflict between separated parents are among the most challenging cases to handle. Few studies however have focussed on how social workers themselves experience and meet with parents involved in hostile martial interactions. This article reports on a qualitative study involving 31 social workers and provides an analysis of their experiences and dilemmas in working with such families. Findings demonstrate that social workers struggle to find ways to help high‐conflict families and often find themselves at an impasse. Parents involved in such conflict are highly resistant to change, and social workers struggle to engage with them over concerns about their children. Furthermore, findings suggest that social workers lack organizationally allotted time to assist the parents. I conclude by discussing ways in which emotional support, empowering interventions, and strength‐based approaches enable social workers to manage relationships with high‐conflict families. More research on this topic is needed to support and promote better practices for social workers to be more effective in assisting high‐conflict families.
“…Emery (1999) estimated the numbers to be much higher, suggesting that as many as one-quarter to one-third of separated parents engage in severe and persistent conflict. Parkinson (2000) observed that, for divorcing couples, "outrage and anger can quickly spread from one issue to another," and in high conflict couples this may contribute to complete communication breakdown (p. 70). Beck and Sales (2001) noted that spouses in the most troubled relationships share the same underlying inability to engage each other constructively in identifying areas of conflict and then resolving them.…”
The term high conflict is used regularly across various literatures; such as divorce, family court, and psychotherapy; to describe relationships that are mired in conflict. Despite its widespread use, the term has not been precisely defined in a clinically meaningful way. This article offers a definition of high conflict based on a synthesis of previous literatures related to high conflict, observations of court personnel, and the authors' own clinical experiences working with this population. A case study illustrates the pervasive negative exchanges and hostile insecure emotional environment that characterize these couples. The implications of this definition for clinical practice are also discussed.
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