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Identity Management

What is making me feel so strongly about this such that I am digging in and making this conflict so difficult to resolve?

Original text:

From the perspective of the identity framing, the desired outcome of engaging an intercultural conflict is not just a settlement. Rather it is a more complete perception of reality, and double-loop learning leading to an expanded repertoire to draw on in future interactions. The identity framing looks beyond short-term gains at ways of transforming dysfunctional patterns of interaction into relationships that enhance the ability of all parties to meet their deeper needs. It attempts to accomplish this change by encouraging “reflexive dialogue” in which people not only listen to each other but also to themselves in order to be aware of, and articulate, the deeper needs that may be threatened in a particular situation. In other words, the identity framing asks people to address the question:

“What is making me feel so strongly about this such that I am digging in and making this conflict so difficult to resolve?”

The conflict frame model relates to the theory of action model by drawing attention to goals, the third element of the theory of action. The framing model enables the students to treat goals as objects of inquiry rather than as givens, so they can articulate and question why they chose these goals and feel strongly about them, and it offers the possibility of revising the goals. Individuals may discover through the analysis that their original goal is unrealistic and that within the given context a different goal may be more desirable. Identity conflicts call for interventions which lead parties “to clarify for themselves their needs and values, what causes them dissatisfaction and satisfaction” (Bush and Folger 1995: 82).


last updated december 2019