Third Party Consultation: A Method for the Study and Resolution of Conflict [chapter]

Ronald J. Fisher
2016 Pioneers in Arts, Humanities, Science, Engineering, Practice  
Conflict in its many forms is an omnipresent fact of human existence. Since it often includes dysfunctional and destructive components, men have explored numerous methods for its management, including techniques of avoidance, regulation, and resolution. A number of these methods involve the intervention of an outside third party as in mediation, arbitration, and conciliation. Recently several investigators in various fields have been developing similar approaches which appear to exhibit a new
more » ... pe of third party intervention directed toward the study and resolution of conflict. These approaches have been given different labels and evidence variation on a number of dimensions. Nevertheless it is suggested here, that they exhibit a core of common characteristics which warrants grouping them together under the term, third party consultation, after Walton ( 1969) . This general method centers on the facilitative and diagnostic actions of an impartial third party consultant in helping antagonists understand and constructively deal with the negative aspects of their conflict. In part this involves the injection of social science theory relating to conflict processes. The approach is decidedly noncoercive, nonevaluative, relatively nondirective, and seeks exploration and creative problem-solving with respect to basic relationships, rather than settlement of specific issues through negotiation. Third party consultation can thus be distinguished from more traditional types of intervention on a number of dimensions, including the degree of coercion applied to the parties, the flexibility of the interaction, and the nature of the objectives. Many of these distinctions are discussed by Burton (1969) in comparing his third party approach of controlled communication with more established methods. It must be emphasized that third party consultation is not simply a complementary adjunct nor a straightforward extension of other forms of third party intervention. On the contrary the method is a step in a new direction in the field of conflict resolution and involves an unprecedented combination of third party strategies and behaviors. Obvious parallels between past methods and the present one should not be taken as a denial of the uniqueness of third party consultation. This article presents a comparative review and an explication of the general characteristics of third party consultation. Several examples of the method are briefly described, and a
doi:10.1007/978-3-319-39038-3_3 fatcat:zcoknmgve5csrb4hxamtjqat6i