Psychological Approaches to Conflict and Conflict Management
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About this Course:
This course is an elective offering in the doctoral program in psychology. It is
also a core course in the new Masters program in Peace and Conflict studies offered
by the department of sociology and anthropology.
Course Objectives:
(1) To give you a working knowledge of the major conceptual and
intellectual ideas and issues in the field of social conflict and the
management of such conflicts. The emphasis will be on readings and
concepts from social psychology. However, since the study of social conflict is
very much a multidisciplinary activity, the course will also expose you to thinkers
from political science, law, communications, sociology, and organizational
behavior and consulting, among others. When you have successfully completed
this course you will have an improved ability to think and communicate about the
dynamics of social conflict and, if you are research-oriented, to plan and conduct
more informed studies on conflict and its management and to use this knowledge
in your scholarly and professional career and (perhaps) in your personal life.
(2) To give you practical knowledge about the management of conflict.
The course is not fundamentally practice oriented, but you will have many
opportunities to practice the fundamental skills of conflict management. While
you will not become a skilled conflict resolver in this course, you will learn
enough about conflict dynamics in organizational and interpersonal settings to
become more sophisticated in the handling of everyday conflicts at work and in
your personal life.
Text: Lewicki, R. J., Saunders, D.M., & Barry, B. (2006). Negotiation, 7th Edition. New
York: McGraw-Hill. (Earlier and later editions are acceptable. The most recent
edition is the 7th). An e textbook can also be purchased at: www.coursesmart.com
Note: The text is available at NJ Books. Other readings are drawn from diverse
multidisciplinary sources and are posted on Blackboard.
A note on the textbook: Although your textbook is entitled “Negotiation,” in point
of fact it is largely about conflict, broadly understood. This is because much
conflict involves negotiation of some kind -- either explicitly or implicitly -- and
because nearly all of the factors that affect negotiation also are relevant to
conflict. The textbook also stresses psychological research and theory, a good
thing in a psychology course!
Readings: In addition to the assigned chapters from the textbook for many of our
topics there will also be additional required readings listed on the class schedule.
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Course Website: The syllabus and readings will be available on Blackboard.
Teaching Methods: The course will be divided between lectures, discussion and
a variety of active learning methods, including simulations, role-plays, case
discussion, and skill practice exercises. Videos will also be used to illustrate key
themes in the management of conflict. The emphasis will be on active
involvement with the materials and class participation in a supportive
environment.
Reading Days: Three class sessions will be devoted to a discussion of selected
readings of empirical research on social conflict as presented by members of the
seminar. The presenter of each reading will discuss the rationale of the study, the
methods, the highlights of the results, and the conclusions. Presenters may ask
questions of the other students and the audience may ask questions of the
presenter. Reading Days will occur at the conclusion of each of the three major
subsections of the course — Conflict Fundamentals, Conflict Sub Processes, and
Managing Conflict — as indicated in the schedule of classes below.
Requirements:
There will be two exams over the course of the semester. Both exams will be in
essay format. Exam #1 will be given in class. Exam #2 will be a take home exam and
you will have two class periods (when we will not meet) to prepare it, since it will
cover the entire semester. The exams will focus both on the class lectures,
discussions, and activities as well as on the textbook readings and other reading
assignments, including those presented on each of the reading days.
Grading:
Exam# 1 = 30%
Exam #2 = 40%
Class Participation = 30%
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Students are expected to do their own work at all times.
Plagiarism or other breaches of academic integrity are taken very seriously. You
should familiarize yourself with the University policy on academic integrity
outlined at the following URL:
http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml
Seek Guidance! Don’t hesitate to reach out to me for any reason. I am happy to
talk with students concerning the course and related academic matters. The best
way to reach me to schedule a meeting is by email or after class. My office hours
will be held in my office, 359 Smith Hall, on Thursdays, from 12:30 – 2:00. If you
wish to see me during office hours it is still a good idea to set up an appointment
2
in advance. I am happy to meet with you at other times if you make an
appointment.
Schedule of Classes
Note: I have done my best to plan the course out thoroughly. The advantage
of so doing is obvious. The downside, however, is that we can lose a degree of
desirable flexibility. As a result, regard the topics and (especially) the readings in the
Schedule below as subject to change. I will notify you via Blackboard and in class in
as timely away as possible if changes occur. However, it is your responsibility to
“stay tuned.” All readings (other than the assigned text) will be posted on
Blackboard at least 2 weeks in advance.
Date
9/1 Tues
Topics
Introduction to Course:
SECTION ONE: CONFLICT FUNDAMENTALS
9/3 Thurs
A. Overview: Conflict and its Management
Pembertons’s Dilemma
9/8 Tues
No Class: Monday Schedule at Rutgers-Newark
9/10 Thurs
The Lessons of Pemberton: The Nature and causes of
conflict
Read:
• Pruitt, (2010). Research on the Prisoner’s Dilemma
9/15 Tues
Singson vs. Whitamore: Case Discussion on approaches
to managing conflict
9/17 Thurs
Lecture Discussion: Conflict and Interdependence
Read:
• Chap 1 (Lewicki): The Nature of “Negotiation”
B. Distributive Conflict
The Used Car Exercise
9/22 Tues
9/24 Thurs
Lecture Discussion: Distributive Conflict
Read:
•Chap 2 (Lewicki) Strategies and Tactics of
Distributive Negotiations
• Dawson, R. Secrets of Power Negotiating
C. Integrative Conflict
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9/29 Tues
Universal Computer Exercise
10/1 Thurs
Lecture Discussion: Integrative Conflict & Beautiful
Butterfly Exercise
READ:
• Chap 3 (Lewicki) Strategies & Tactics of Integrative
Negotiations
10/6 Tues
Reading Day 1: Conflict Fundamentals
• Deutsch 2012 Social Psychology’s Contributions to the
Study of Conflict Resolution
• Tinsley, et. al. (2002). Tough guys finish last: the perils
of a distributive reputation
• Curhan, et. al. (2006). What do people value when
they negotiate? Mapping the domain of subjective value
10/8 Thurs
SECTION TWO: CONFLICT SUB PROCESSES
A. Communication
Active Listening Demo & Exercise
Lewicki, pp. 248- 253; 523-524.
10/13
Tues
Dealing with Strong Emotions: The Angry Customer
Exercise
Read: • Lewicki, pp. 219-226; p. 548.
10/15 Thurs
Exam #1
10/20Tues
10/22
Thurs
10/27
Tues
10/29
B. Cognition
The Impact of Cognitive Frames on Conflict Dynamics in
Personal and Professional Settings
Read:
•Lewicki, Chap. 6, “Perception, Cognition, and
Emotion.”
Frames as Strategies for Managing Conflict: The Conflict
Styles Inventory.
Read:
• Lewicki, pp. 22-26
Frames as Cognitive Heuristics
Read:
Lewicki, pp. 205-219.
Reading Day 2: Research on Conflict Sub Processes
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Thurs
11/3 Tues
11/5 Thurs
11/10 Tues
11/12 Thurs
11/17 Tues
11/19Thurs
11/24 Tues
• Fitness, J. (2000). Anger in the workplace
• Friedman, et. al. (2000). The impact of personal
conflict style on work conflict and stress
• De Dreu & Van Vianen (2001) Managing relationship
conflict and the effectiveness of organizational teams
SECTION THREE: MANAGING CONFLICT
Lewicki, chap. 19, “Third-Party Approaches to
Managing Difficult Negotiations”
Informal Conflict management: The Seatcorp case
discussion
Read: Sheppard, et. al. (1989). Informal
Thirdpartyship: Studies of everyday conflict intervention.
Intro to Formal Models of Mediation: The Levcorp
mediation role-play
Read: Kressel, K. (2014). The mediation of conflict:
Context, Cognition, and Practice
What is your mediation style? We measure it (with a
questionnaire) and then you try your hand at mediating
“The Angry Roommates”
Lecture/Discusssion: Formal models of mediation (as
illustrated by the The Angry Roommates lab study and
our role-plays)
We compare two styles of Mediation: The
Transformative Style and The Strategic Style
Read:
• Folger, J. P. & Busch, R. A. (1996). Transformative
Mediation and third-party intervention: Ten hallmarks of
a transformative approach to practice.
• Kressel (2007). The strategic style in mediation
Reading Day 3: Research on Formal Models of
Mediation
• Kressel et al. (2012). Multidimensional analysis of
conflict mediator style. (the Angry Roommates study).
• Charkoudian, et. al. (2009). The struggle to define
mediation and its various approaches
• Wall & Chan-Serafin. Do mediators walk their talk in
civil cases?
From Formal Models to Schemas of Practice: The Role
of Tacit Knowledge and Mediator Expertise
Read:
Kressel (2013). How do mediators decide what to do?
Implicit schemas of practice and mediator decision
making.
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11/26 Thurs
12/1 Tues
12/3 Thurs &
12/8 Tues
12/10 Last
Class
Kahneman & Klein (2009). Conditions for intuitive
expertise
THANKSGIVING
Managing International Conflict: Mediation and
Intermediation
Read:
Bercovitch, J. B. (2007) Mediation in international
conflicts: Theory, practice, and developments
Bercovitch, J., and Lee, S. (2003). Mediating
International Conflicts: Examining the Effectiveness of
Directive Strategies.
Pruitt, D. G. (2008). Back-channel communication in
the settlement of conflict.
Exam #2 (cumulative): Take home exam days. Exam
to be handed in on 12/10.
• Hand in take home exam #2
• Class Evaluation
• Other loose ends
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