SOCPSY - 13 CONFLICT AND PEACEMAKING

Conflict

A perceived incompatibility of actions or goals.

Peace

A condition marked by low levels of hostility and aggression and by mutually beneficial relationships.

Social trap

A situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing its self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior.

Tragedy of the Commons

Occurs when individuals consume more than their share, with the cost of their doing so dispersed among all, causing the ultimate collapse.

Non-zero-sum games

Games in which outcomes need not sum to zero. With cooperation, both can win; with competition, both can lose (also called mixed-motive situations).

Competition

This kindles conflict. In _______________-fostering situations, groups act more competitively than do individuals.

Mirror-image perceptions

Reciprocal views of each other often held by parties in conflict; for example, each may view itself as moral and peace-loving and the other as evil and aggressive.

Equal-status contact

Contact on an equal basis.

Superordinate goal

A shared goal that necessitates cooperative effort; a goal that overrides people’s differences from one another.

Bargaining

Seeking an agreement to a conflict through direct negotiation between parties.

Mediation

An attempt by a neutral third party to resolve a conflict by facilitating communication and offering suggestions.

Arbitration

Resolution of a conflict by a neutral third party who studies both sides and imposes a settlement.

Integrative agreements

Win-win agreements that reconcile both parties’ interests to their mutual benefit.

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension Reduction

A strategy designed to de-escalate international tensions.