Conflict Resolution and Trust Model

Attributions & Trust

• Damage to Trust: Attributions, especially negative ones, can damage trust in a conflict because they assign blame and responsibility, hindering open communication and collaboration.
• Personal vs. Procedural Trust: Personal trust focuses on the character and intentions of individuals, while procedural trust relies on the fairness and impartiality of the process or system.
• Personal Trust Characteristic: Personal trust is often built upon shared values, respect, and a history of positive interactions.
• Impact of Inconsistent Behavior: Inconsistent behavior erodes personal trust, as it signals unreliability and a lack of commitment to upholding promises.
• Trust Model Application: The goal of the trust model is to assess and understand the level of trust in a conflict to design effective interventions, promote understanding, and facilitate resolutions.

Significance of Trust in Conflict Resolution

• Trust as a Resource: Trust is a valuable resource that fuels cooperation, communication, and problem-solving in conflict resolution.
• Evaluating Trustworthiness: Assessing another person's trustworthiness involves evaluating their competence, integrity, and benevolence.
• Active Trust-Building: To build trust, individuals must proactively take risks, be vulnerable, and demonstrate their reliability.
• Diagnostic Trust Model: The diagnostic approach of the Dynamics of Trust model focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes and dynamics of trust issues in conflicts.

Trust and Conflict Management

• Benefits of Trust: Trust facilitates open communication, reduces defensiveness, and increases the likelihood of finding mutually acceptable resolutions.
• Building Trust: Building trust requires demonstrating competence, integrity, and concern for the other party's interests.
• Least Procedural Trust: Intrinsic attributions, which focus on internal factors like ability or effort, typically require less procedural trust.
• Procedural Trust Characteristic: Procedural trust typically involves fairness, transparency, and an unbiased decision-making process.
• Attributional Retraining: The primary goal of attributional retraining is to help individuals reframe negative attributions and consider alternative explanations for behavior.
• Trust in Mediation: Parties often trust the mediation process because it offers a neutral platform, facilitates communication, and helps them explore mutually acceptable solutions.
• Personal & Procedural Trust Relationship: Personal and procedural trust are intertwined, as stronger personal relationships can enhance procedural trust, and vice versa.
• Intrinsic vs. Intentional Attributions: Intrinsic attributions focus on internal factors (ability, effort), while intentional attributions focus on the individual's intent to act (deliberate vs. unintentional).

This quiz assesses your understanding of attributions and their impact on trust in conflict resolution. Learn how attributions can be changed and how they influence the outcome of a conflict.