Fundamentals Seminar Blog
Constructive Confrontation Initiative Spring 2018 Posts to Date
See Syllabus for additional background posts and planned, future posts (many of which are now accessible).
Other Blogs: MOOS Conflict Frontiers | BI in Context | Colleague Activities
Posts ordered from most recent to earliest.
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Conflicts and Disputes
Distinguishing between conflicts and disputes is essential for successful engagement in each.
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Complex Adaptive Systems
Successfully working with complex system requires us to challenge many of our assumptions and understand the limits of rational planning.
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Channels of Communication
When channels of communication between hostile actors close, risks of destructive conflict raise substantially.
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Factual Disputes
An overview of the many kinds of disputes over facts that arise in conflicts--and what to do about them. Although getting worse, this problem isn't new!
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Misunderstandings
Even if the misunderstandings do not cause conflict, they can escalate it rapidly once it starts.
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Interpersonal Communication
We take it for granted, but so much can go wrong with our communication. In conflict, care is essential!
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Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance can escalate or de-escalate conflict depending on how it is used.
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Victimhood
Victimhood has a dual nature—people can be both ashamed and proud of their victim status at the same time.
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Delegitimization
Delegitimization drives escalation and violence—but how is it reversed?
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Siege Mentality
North Korea's siege mentality is particularly dangerous as the US is exhibiting a siege mentality too!
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Ethos of Conflict
Since the conflict ethos feeds continuation of the conflict, that needs to change for conflicts to be resolved.
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Psychological Dynamics of Intractable Conflicts
In intractable conflicts, entire societies can get tangled up in destructive psychological dynamics.
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Limits of Rationality in Decision Making
Emotions cannot be ignored in intractable conflicts--they are the elephant that a rider only tenuously controls.
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Cultural and Worldview Frames
Worldview frames go a long way in explaining why the US is becoming increasingly polarized.
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Stereotypes / Characterization Frames
Genocides start with negative stereotyping--is this where we want to go?
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Identity Frames
Identity frames shape who we are...and what we believe and do as well.
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Competitive and Cooperative Approaches to Conflict
Self-fulfilling prophecies keep us stuck in destructive conflict styles.
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Process Frames
Your process frame is a blinder that lets you see a solution...or forces it away.
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Humiliation
Evelin Lindner calls humiliation the "atom bomb of emotions" because it does such profound damage to relationships.
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Power
If power were one-dimensional, we could agree who has more and who has less. But we are often surprised at how power struggles come out.
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Rich / Poor Conflicts
Conflicts between the rich and the poor are intractable in many contexts.
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Social Status
Social status is intrinsically linked with ideas of power, humiliation, dignity and hierarchy--all of which drive conflict.
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High-Stakes Distributional Issues
When conflicts over who gets what really matter--they are high stakes--they drive intractability.
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Frames, Framing and Reframing
Frames determine what we believe is true. When we frame things differently, conflict resolution is a challenge!
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Dealing with Extremists
Violent extremism is one of the most difficult challenges of our time. We MUST design better ways of preventing it.