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Activities and Discussion Questions
Hocker: Interpersonal Conflict, 10e
Chapter 9
Third-Party Intervention
Activities and Discussion Questions
The Gift
Use the following scenario to help students assess their interests and positions when they are
negotiating with others in their everyday life. Make two lists on the board—one for the students’
interests and one for the students’ positions. Ask the students to divide themselves into two
groups—one group for each party to the conflict. Have each group identify the possible interests
of their party and distinguish them from the potential positions that a person might take.
Scenario
A 26-year-old man named Larry and his fiancée, Joan, visit his parents for Christmas. Larry’s
parents, Jack and Alice, have met Joan before, and they like her very much. Generally, it is a
positive situation all around. During dinner, Jack announces to Larry and Joan, “We have a big
gift for you this Christmas.” He continues, “We want to entrust the business to you, Larry and
Joan, and have you move to Billings and run it.” Larry gasps for air and says, “Oh, uh, thanks.”
Joan says, “I don’t think that would work well for the two of us.” Alice asks, “More pie, Larry?”
and “Joan, would you like some more turkey?” Alice continues to fill the awkward silence by
saying, “Jack, what do you think about this new gravy?”
The typical patterns for each person are as follows:
Questions
1. What are the different positions in the scenario? What are each person’s interests?
2. How might the parties perceive their goals to be incompatible with each other?
3. How might people perceive others who interfere in the accomplishment of their goals?
4. What are some suggestions that you would make to help this family discuss the
ramifications of the gift of the family business?
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Activities and Discussion Questions
Hocker: Interpersonal Conflict, 10e
Leveling the Playing Field
The authors of this text make the claim that equalizing power is not always possible. They also
describe that some would choose destructive strategies and others would choose constructive
strategies in an attempt to balance the power among the people involved in a conflict.
Provide students with a current case in the local, national, or international news in which there is
a clear imbalance of power among the parties to a conflict. Have them respond to the following
questions, and then have them brainstorm and list some of the destructive strategies and some of
the constructive strategies available to the parties to the conflict.
1. Who are the parties to this conflict?
2. What are the power currencies that are or seem to be available to each party?
Destructive Balance Options Constructive Balance Options
• Have students brainstorm a list of options for balancing the power between and among the
parties to the conflict.
• After you have a substantial list of options, have the students indicate which options belong
to which party to the conflict.
• What are the ways in which the person or group in a higher power position can facilitate
cooperation over competition?
• In what context(s) should one or more of the parties remove themselves from the situation
rather than attempt to balance or tip the power scales?
Informal Interventions
Option 1
Have students develop short role plays based on their real life experiences in which they have
either felt compelled to intervene, been asked to intervene, or would rather sleep with snakes
than intervene in a conflict.
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Activities and Discussion Questions
Hocker: Interpersonal Conflict, 10e
progresses.
Questions for Discussion
1. In what circumstances is it appropriate to intervene personally in a conflict?
2. When should you back out of a conflict gracefully?
3. In what contexts might you suggest some other form of third-party intervention?
4. How would you go about offering the suggestion that the parties to a conflict should seek a
more formal form of third-party intervention?
5. To what extent does your relationship(s) with one or more of the parties to a conflict
influence your decision about intervention?
Option 2: Coaching
Have students write about a current conflict—one that still needs management. If the students
can’t think of any conflicts of their own, you could allow them to write about a current conflict
of a person whom they know, such as a friend, sibling, etc., without identifying him or her.
Conduct a read-around. Have each student pass the written version of their conflict to the person
sitting next to her or him. Do this once or twice so that at least a few people have read each
student’s conflict. Next, assign “coaches” to each conflict, assuring that no one has her or his
Transforming Old to New
Overview
Transforming a conflict involves making something new out of something old—ideally
something that is desirable for all the parties involved. To help the students think about
creatively engaging in the process of transformation, begin with a fun activity that transforms old
things into new ones.
Process
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Activities and Discussion Questions
Hocker: Interpersonal Conflict, 10e
Divide the class into teams, and provide all but one team with a bag of old stuff (such as things
in your office that you’d like to get rid of, materials from the recycle bin, stuff laying around at
home, etc.). You can also ask the students to bring in something that they do not want anymore
and are willing to donate to a class project.
On a table, provide some materials (such as scissors, duct tape, staplers, tools, etc.) that may help
the teams to transform the old stuff into something new. It helps if there are not enough tools to
go around.
The teams with the materials will negotiate with the other teams for the materials that they need
be winners and losers, etc. The team may decide to observe and evaluate the process of
transformation as well as the final product. Finally, the judges may decide to share their judging
criteria with the teams, or they could to tell them the criteria after the projects have been
evaluated.
Discussion Questions
1. What was it like to work together to transform something old into something new?
2. How did you decide to go about your process of product transformation?
3. What do you think of the judgments passed on your product?
4. What was it like to have to judge the transformations?
5. How could this be similar to or different from transforming conflicts?
Transforming Conflicts
Overview
Process
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Activities and Discussion Questions
Hocker: Interpersonal Conflict, 10e
Divide the class into groups, and distribute copies of the three cases provided in chapter 7
(Family Problems, Child Custody Dispute, and Fraternity Rivalry) to each group. Give the
groups the instructions provided in the handout titled “Transforming Conflicts: Three Case
Studies.”
You may choose to give each group a single conflict to address rather than all three.
Allow the groups to have at least 20 minutes to work through the conflicts in the case studies,
and then, ask the groups to present an oral report on the highlights of their conversations. Record
them on the board or on a flip chart so that everyone can see and observe any emergent patterns.
After all the groups have presented their oral reports, discuss the similarities and differences in
the approaches taken by different groups.
Discussion Questions
After responding to the questions on the handout, you may want to follow up with some of the
discussion questions given below.
1. How did you come to your judgment regarding the most appropriate form of third-party
intervention?
2. What are the specific features of this conflict, including the relationships among the parties
to the conflict, that make it the most suited to mediation, arbitration, litigation, etc.?
3. What is the difference in the way you would advocate for the transformation of a conflict
when you imagine yourself as a party to the conflict rather than when you imagine yourself
as an intervening third party?
Transforming Conflicts: Three Case Studies
(Reference: Case Studies provided in chapter 7 of the Instructor’s Manual)
As a group, determine what might be the most appropriate choice(s) for transforming the
conflicts in each of the case studies, given the set of strategies and perspectives discussed in the
chapter. Indicate why you would recommend each of the choices for a case, and give a practical,
step-by-step set of procedures for the transformation of the conflict in the case.
1. Who is in the best position to make a difference in the conflict as you understand it? Why?
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Activities and Discussion Questions
Hocker: Interpersonal Conflict, 10e
would you attempt to assist the parties in transforming their own conflict?
So You Want To Be a Mediator?
Process
Students could complete part of this activity as an assignment outside of class, or you can
facilitate the entire activity in class.
1. Have the students read about two or three conflicts (such as stories from the newspaper,
scenarios they wrote, or cases discussed in the chapter) that may be appropriate for
mediation.
2. Ask the students to research (either on the Web during class or as an overnight assignment)
what training is available for people who want to become mediators.
3. Use the questions given below to guide your discussions (which could take place in small
groups, as a class, or both).
a. What are the skills that are necessary to become a successful mediator?
b. How are you learning and developing those skills in college? In your department?