Interactive Problem Solving

An Approach to Conflict Resolution and Its Application in the Middle East

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6106286
AutoresHerbert C Kelman (0000-0001-6778-8566, Harvard University Press, autor de correspondencia)
Año1998
Volumen31
Número2
Páginas190-198
Fecha de publicación1998-06-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaPS Political Science & Politics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1049-0965 • E-ISSN: 1537-5935
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/420249
OpenAlexW2116243525
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas12
Referencias citadas23

For more than 25 years, my colleagues and I have been developing and applying an unofficial, academically based, third-party approach to the analysis and resolution of international and ethnic conflicts, which I have come to call interactive problem solving. The approach is derived from the seminal work of John Burton (see Burton 1969, 1979, 1984; Kelman 1972). It is anchored in social-psychological principles and follows a scholar/practitioner model. Our practice is informed by theoretical analyses and empirical studies of international conflict, social influence, and group interaction. The experience gained in practice, in turn, contributes to theory building and to the evaluation and refinement of our intervention model. The work thus represents an integration and continuing interaction between practice, research, and theory building. The fullest—in a sense, the paradigmatic—application of the approach is represented by problem-solving workshops, which bring together politically influential members of conflicting parties in a private, confidential setting for direct, noncommittal communication. Workshops are designed to enable the parties to explore each other's perspective and, through a joint process of creative problem solving, to generate new ideas for mutually satisfactory solutions to their conflict. The ultimate goal is to transfer the insights and ideas gained from these interactions into the political debate and decision-making processes in the two communities. Problem-solving workshops are not negotiating sessions and they are not intended to simulate and certainly not to substitute for official negotiations

Confidentiality · Conflict resolution · Economics · Management science · Negotiation · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · Computer Science · Conflict Management and Negotiation · Law · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Psychology