THE INFLUENCE OF INTERVENOR ROLE ON CRITERIA FOR DISPUTE INTERVENTION: PARENTS AND FRIENDS AS INTERVENORS

A recent focus in conflict intervention theory and research has been on identifying the criteria that disputants and intervenors use in their selection and valuation of a dispute resolution procedure. Relative importance of intervention criteria has been found to be not only dependent upon the nature of the dispute but also upon who is intervening (e.g., manager or coworker). One argument is that some of the intervention criteria that intervenors consider are a reflection of the broader goals they have for their relationship with the disputants rather than for dealing with the specific dispute at hand To address this argument, the current study examined the relationship between the role of the intervenor (parent or friend) and the importance of criteria for subsequent intervention, while taking into account the nature of the dispute. Only those criteria which reflected the different structure and vulnerabilities of the parent‐child and friendship relationships (e.g., creating future learning and ensuring continued liking and acceptance of intervenor) were directly related to intervenor role. Other role differences were a result of intervening in different disputes. These results suggest that decisions regarding how to intervene are also influenced by the broader dynamics and norms of the intervenor‐disputant relationship. The implications of these results for research and practice in dispute intervention are discussed.