The Problem-Solving Workshop: A Social-Psychological Contribution to the Resolution of International Conflicts

Abstract

In recent years there have been a number of efforts to develop new approaches to the resolution of international conflict, based on a social-psychological model and involving direct, unofficial communications under thirdparty auspices. The present paper discusses one such approach, consisting of problemsolving workshops in which representatives of conflicting national groups are brought together for face-to-face communication in a relatively isolated setting, free from governmental and diplomatic protocol. The basic format calls for more or less unstructured discussions, taking place in the presence and under the guidance of social scientists who are knowledgeable both about group process and about conflict theory. Setting, agenda, ground rules, procedures, and third-party interventions are designed to counteract the accusatory, legalistic, and conflict-expressive atmosphere that usually characterizes interactions between conflicting parties and to promote, instead, a task-oriented, analytical approach. Such an atmosphere, it is assumed, has the potential for producing changes in the participants' perceptions and attitudes