Media Conflict Analysis

COM3621: CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

October 18, 2018

Class Agenda

■ Power in Conflict Interactions ■ Forms of power – Behavior control – Ideology

■ Social categorization

Power in Conflict Interactions

■ Power is “the ability to influence or control events” involved in conflict interactions

Power in Conflict Interactions

■ Power is relational ■ Power depends on: – the relationships among conflict participants – access to resources used to persuade others to change course of

action or prevent others’ from obtaining goals – the endorsement of others

Forms of Power

■ Behavior control ■ Ideology

Behavior Control

■ When someone can affect the behavior of another person so they act in ways that person would not otherwise act.

– Rewards and punishments – Access to information – Expertise – Likeability – Communication skills

Ideology

■ Systems of widely accepted ideas, beliefs, norms

Social Categorization

■ The process of associating privilege and power with social groups

– Gender, race, ethnicity, age, economic class, sexuality, ability – Also, professions, citizenship of countries

■ Preconceptions about what types of people are powerful

Social Categorization

■ Consequences of social categorization – Using power is easier for some than others – Endorsement leads to belief in perception of one’s own power

■ Deindividuation – Making assumptions about a person based on membership in a social

group rather than individual characteristics – As conflict escalates, deindividuation increases