16 ICSA TODAY
communication among conflicting parties may contribute to
conflict management and resolution.
Kelman’s Problem-Solving Workshop in Conflict
Resolution
Kelman (1972) and his colleagues (Kelman &Fisher, 2003) use an
approach to conflict resolution anchored in social-psychological
principles. This approach brings together, in the particular region
in which the conflict takes place, politically involved members
of conflicting parties for direct communication facilitated by a
panel of social scientists with expertise in group process and in
international conflicts.
The ultimate goal of interactive problem solving is to promote
change in individuals through face-to-face interaction in small
groups as a vehicle for change in the larger conflict system.
The problem-solving workshop is a microprocess intended to
contribute to the macroprocess of conflict resolution. According
to Kelman (Kelman &Fisher, 2003), participants’ behavior in the
group may reflect the nature of the relationship between their
communities and the self-perpetuating pattern of interaction
that they have adopted.
Conflict Resolution in the Context of Cult Conflict
I believe that we also could achieve in cult conflicts the main
goals of Burton, Doob, and Kelman’s workshops. Obviously, the
workshop experiences described above and the conflicts we face
are different. Real life is not a workshop. Moreover, Kelman was
studying international conflict, a very different field from that of
cult conflicts. Nevertheless, based on my personal experience,
there are at least two very useful ideas we could apply to cult
conflicts: face-to-face communication, and the mediator figure.
Face-to-Face Communication
The most important principle of Kelman, Burton, and Doob,
face-to face communication, can, as the three authors say, give
people the following opportunities:
• To move away from a rigid reiteration of a
stereotyped position, and from efforts to justify their
own preexisting opinion.
Such a rigid position is a frequent problem in conflicts
between parents and children affiliated with cultic
groups. Parents, after they ask cult critics for help,
are often convinced that their children have been
brainwashed by a cult, and it is difficult to reassure
them otherwise, even if it appears that the children
have freely chosen their affiliation.
• To absorb new information to enable them to
understand the perceptions and intentions of the
other side, achieve new insights into the nature of the
conflict, and learn a new conceptual framework for the
analysis of conflict, which may be applicable to their
own situations.
Applying these ideas to cult conflict, I would stress that it is vital
to have reliable information about the religious group. With
accurate information, parents may be able to revise perception
distorted by a long history of conflict associated with the group,
which is often exacerbated by anticult and media propaganda.
Then the parties to the conflict can engage in a process of
creative problem solving.
By applying these ideas, people involved in cult-related conflicts
can learn to communicate with each other in new ways to create
the conditions for effective problem solving. As Burton says, I
think we should learn “To see the conflict as a problem to be solved
and not as a contest to be won” (Burton, 1969, p. 157).
I would point out here that, although there are many innocent
groups, there are also nasty groups that control and damage
people profoundly, even if their intentions are not malicious.
Sometimes parental concerns are warranted, and the cult
members are the ones more prone to act according to
stereotypes and inaccurate information coming from the group
they joined. It is vital, then, that helpers approach each case
with a mind that is open to a range of possibilities regarding the
potential or actual harmfulness of the group.
Mediator Figure
To help people, we must facilitate a behavioral change: We must
encourage them to move from the roles of antagonists, in which
neither party dares to yield a point, to the roles of collaborators
searching for a positive-sum solution to a common problem. I
have experienced this process in my own life and in my attempt
to help people involved in cult-related conflicts: parents,
children, members, former members, and leaders of the groups
or movements involved. In this context, a mediator figure can
facilitate face-to-face communication.
The mediator involved in the process of conflict resolution
is the key figure. The mediator can encourage people in a
conflict to ask leading questions and also can suggest tentative
hypotheses to explain the nature of the conflict. The mediator
should not try to force or attack either party to the conflict. The
main characteristic involved should be respect, without any
discrimination.
Conclusion
Mediating in cult-related conflict situations is a difficult task. I
have concluded, through 18 years of experience, that there is no
simple way to face this type of conflict.
I have also realized that associations that provide help to cult
victims have a great responsibility because the media and law-
enforcement authorities who investigate controversial groups
refer to these associations as sources of information. Associations
that support victims may not be sufficiently aware of the harm
that false information, a mistake in an intervention, or bad
advice can cause to people, families, and society. For this reason,
we have a moral obligation to broaden our understanding, to
improve the results of our action without causing discrimination
or creating new victims. n
communication among conflicting parties may contribute to
conflict management and resolution.
Kelman’s Problem-Solving Workshop in Conflict
Resolution
Kelman (1972) and his colleagues (Kelman &Fisher, 2003) use an
approach to conflict resolution anchored in social-psychological
principles. This approach brings together, in the particular region
in which the conflict takes place, politically involved members
of conflicting parties for direct communication facilitated by a
panel of social scientists with expertise in group process and in
international conflicts.
The ultimate goal of interactive problem solving is to promote
change in individuals through face-to-face interaction in small
groups as a vehicle for change in the larger conflict system.
The problem-solving workshop is a microprocess intended to
contribute to the macroprocess of conflict resolution. According
to Kelman (Kelman &Fisher, 2003), participants’ behavior in the
group may reflect the nature of the relationship between their
communities and the self-perpetuating pattern of interaction
that they have adopted.
Conflict Resolution in the Context of Cult Conflict
I believe that we also could achieve in cult conflicts the main
goals of Burton, Doob, and Kelman’s workshops. Obviously, the
workshop experiences described above and the conflicts we face
are different. Real life is not a workshop. Moreover, Kelman was
studying international conflict, a very different field from that of
cult conflicts. Nevertheless, based on my personal experience,
there are at least two very useful ideas we could apply to cult
conflicts: face-to-face communication, and the mediator figure.
Face-to-Face Communication
The most important principle of Kelman, Burton, and Doob,
face-to face communication, can, as the three authors say, give
people the following opportunities:
• To move away from a rigid reiteration of a
stereotyped position, and from efforts to justify their
own preexisting opinion.
Such a rigid position is a frequent problem in conflicts
between parents and children affiliated with cultic
groups. Parents, after they ask cult critics for help,
are often convinced that their children have been
brainwashed by a cult, and it is difficult to reassure
them otherwise, even if it appears that the children
have freely chosen their affiliation.
• To absorb new information to enable them to
understand the perceptions and intentions of the
other side, achieve new insights into the nature of the
conflict, and learn a new conceptual framework for the
analysis of conflict, which may be applicable to their
own situations.
Applying these ideas to cult conflict, I would stress that it is vital
to have reliable information about the religious group. With
accurate information, parents may be able to revise perception
distorted by a long history of conflict associated with the group,
which is often exacerbated by anticult and media propaganda.
Then the parties to the conflict can engage in a process of
creative problem solving.
By applying these ideas, people involved in cult-related conflicts
can learn to communicate with each other in new ways to create
the conditions for effective problem solving. As Burton says, I
think we should learn “To see the conflict as a problem to be solved
and not as a contest to be won” (Burton, 1969, p. 157).
I would point out here that, although there are many innocent
groups, there are also nasty groups that control and damage
people profoundly, even if their intentions are not malicious.
Sometimes parental concerns are warranted, and the cult
members are the ones more prone to act according to
stereotypes and inaccurate information coming from the group
they joined. It is vital, then, that helpers approach each case
with a mind that is open to a range of possibilities regarding the
potential or actual harmfulness of the group.
Mediator Figure
To help people, we must facilitate a behavioral change: We must
encourage them to move from the roles of antagonists, in which
neither party dares to yield a point, to the roles of collaborators
searching for a positive-sum solution to a common problem. I
have experienced this process in my own life and in my attempt
to help people involved in cult-related conflicts: parents,
children, members, former members, and leaders of the groups
or movements involved. In this context, a mediator figure can
facilitate face-to-face communication.
The mediator involved in the process of conflict resolution
is the key figure. The mediator can encourage people in a
conflict to ask leading questions and also can suggest tentative
hypotheses to explain the nature of the conflict. The mediator
should not try to force or attack either party to the conflict. The
main characteristic involved should be respect, without any
discrimination.
Conclusion
Mediating in cult-related conflict situations is a difficult task. I
have concluded, through 18 years of experience, that there is no
simple way to face this type of conflict.
I have also realized that associations that provide help to cult
victims have a great responsibility because the media and law-
enforcement authorities who investigate controversial groups
refer to these associations as sources of information. Associations
that support victims may not be sufficiently aware of the harm
that false information, a mistake in an intervention, or bad
advice can cause to people, families, and society. For this reason,
we have a moral obligation to broaden our understanding, to
improve the results of our action without causing discrimination
or creating new victims. n
