Attribution Theory and Mediation

1. Attribution Theory and Mediation By Irene Pergamo

2. Our behavior centers on the perceived causes of behavior by ordinary people in everyday life. It explains the process by which you come to understand your own behavior and that of others.

3. In order to attribute dispositions to an actor, first the actor’s actions and the effects (or consequences) of these actions are observed by the perceiver. Then the perceiver has to decide whether the effects were intended by the actor. On the basis of this decision, the perceiver makes the attribution of the disposition to the actor.

4. Internal attributions occur when a person’s behavior is attributed to internal characteristics (personality or beliefs). External attributions occur when behavior is attributed to something outside of a person’s control (e.g., traffic or environmental issues). People tend to attribute other people’s behavior to internal characteristics, and their own behavior to external characteristics (Fundamental Attribution Error)

5. Mediators can use these factors to predict the communication strategies each party will use in the mediation process. This will ultimately allow the mediator to select the right techniques to shift attributions, thereby shifting each party’s communication strategies, and thereby shifting the outcome.

6. unlike the justice system, the mediation process is not intended to find fault, assign blame, or punish anyone. • Mediators can take the philosophy of restorative justice and use the motivations behind attribution theory as a tool to reverse preconceived notions individuals have assigned to others and self.

7. Attribution theory suggests that mediation needs always to take account of the relationship between the people. • Mediators can use reframing to put a positive spin on a negative situation.

8. Reframing is used to clarify and uncover the essence of the meaning, needs, interests, or concerns from an unproductive framing and present it in a new way so that it can be more easily addressed and handled by the parties.

9. There is research evidence that parties are often willing and able to hear and accept statements worded by the mediator when they are not able to hear or accept ad identical statement from another disputant.

10. It’s the mediator’s goal to de-escalate the emotional dynamic behind the conflict in order to encourage abstract thinking in general, and encourage a shift from negative attributions to a new framework that allows each party to better view and understand each other’s perspectives.

11. Attributional retraining is the process by which a person is led to reflect on his/her own attributes for a situation, and consider alternative explanations. • This skill can be used to make positions into interests. • Attributional retraining can help mediators to skillfully shake a party’s certainty in his/her assumptions, and thereby change the context of the blame game.

12. Emotional Reframing is described as reframing the party’s concerns and feelings with the same emotional intensity that he/she is experiencing. Can de-escalate the conflict by lessening the energy surrounding the conflict.

13. Role Reversal is where each party speaks from the perspective of the other. • “Take responsibility of their own actions”. This may enable disputants to believe that the situation is to blame. • Video tape each party so they see them selves through the eyes of the casual observer or another party. • “Do want/don’t want”. This exercise requires active listening and restating each other’s wishes.