NCJ Number
198692
Date Published
1998
Length
220 pages
Annotation
This book examines how third parties (persons not directly involved in a dispute) influence the course disputes will take, i.e, whether they will erupt into violence or be resolved nonviolently.
Abstract
In developing the thesis of this book, the author draws heavily on the pioneering work of Donald Black, who formulated a body of wide-ranging theory that predicts and explains how people handle conflict. The author also relies on his own work, which similarly incorporates data from anthropology, criminology, sociology, history, and other disciplines, as well as two studies he conducted. The "third parties" referred to in this book are those who have or are likely to have information about the conflict, such as relatives, friends, neighbors, coworkers, bystanders, or legal officials. The book argues that third parties may be a force for violence or for peace, acting as "warriors," "peacemakers," or something in between. The author explains that the third-party characteristics that can influence conflict outcomes can be found in the social status and ties of third parties. Of critical importance is whether third parties are close to or distant from the principals in the conflict, as well as whether they are above, below, or of the same social status. Some combinations of third-party ties and status promote and intensify the likelihood that a conflict will escalate into violence, transforming apparently minor grievances into long-standing and bitter feuds; others promote efforts to find a peaceful resolution of the disagreement, whether in the form of authoritative legal pronouncements by a judge or the diplomatic suggestions of a person caught between two friends who are quarreling. The theoretical propositions presented in this book have practical applications, as they suggest a strategy for reducing violence centered around two corps of third parties. 371 references, author and subject indexes, and appended relevant studies