Psychological Time, Time Perspective, Culture and Conflict Resolution

Abstract

This chapter discusses the dimension of time in relation to various aspects of life. After presenting several types of time -physical, biological and psychological time -the relationship between time and personality and time and behavior are discussed. Two cultural categories are defined -the Western technological culture and the "non-Western" cultures, differing in their attitude toward time: Western technological culture, having a linear and quantitative perception of time, as opposed to "non-Western" cultures, having a cyclical and qualitative perception of time. The concept "time perspective" -the subjective organization and perception of the past, the present and the future -is introduced, and differences in time perspective between individuals and between cultures are discussed. It is argued that time is strongly related to the emergence of conflicts. Several timerelated heuristics and aspects linking dimensions of time to the emergence of conflicts are presented. As conflict resolution processes take time, negotiators' relation to time influences those processes. Time is often tactically used as a source of power by the party lacking a sense of urgency, and is frequently used in setting deadlines. And time is essential in building trust between negotiating parties. As the temporal perspective is a major factor in conflict resolution, holding future time perspectives by both parties might be optimal.

The consequences of (not) seeing eye‐to‐eye about the past: The role of supervisor–team fit in past temporal focus for supervisors' leadership behavior

“…Similarly, we anticipate that a supervisor will exhibit more relationship‐oriented leadership when his or her past temporal focus is incongruent (rather than congruent) with the team's past temporal focus. Individuals with a strong past temporal focus often hold long‐lasting grudges and, thus, find it difficult to overcome personal disputes (Pierro, Pica, Giannini, Higgins, & Kruglanski, ; Zakay & Fleisig, ). Also, these individuals place a strong emphasis on existing relationships and they are rather conservative in building new social connections (Park et al, ; Zimbardo & Boyd, ), whereas less past‐focused individuals attach limited value to (and more easily forget about) their personal relationship histories (Holman & Zimbardo, ; Zimbardo & Boyd, ).…”

The olive tree effect: Future time perspective when the future is uncertain

“…Social FTP allows parties to take a socially responsible approach and choose the appropriate strategy to solve everyday problems and getting over the residual grievances from the past. Examples of successful conflict resolution shows that the interaction between the constructive treatment of past events with the focus on solving problems for the future allowed to reach a solution agreed on by all the parties (Zakay & Fleisig, 2011). The settlement reached between Mandela and De Klerk at the end of apartheid is an example of the potential of the long-term social FTP.…”

How General Is the Semantic Structure of Time? A Comparison of Indians and Germans

“…The second aspect of time that differs between western and eastern cultures refers to the distinction between a linear and a cyclical notion of time (e.g., Toynbee 1956), the former connected to Semitic (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and the latter to Indic (Hinduism, Buddhism) religions. The usual and for westerner natural way to view time is that it progresses linearly, as suggested by clock time (e.g., Calkins 1970;Saunders et al 2004;Zakay and Fleisig 2011), although several philosophers find this view problematic (Klempe 2015). There seems, however, general agreement that time is irreversible (e.g., Valsiner 1994Valsiner , 2002.…”