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Resolving Conflicts Between People and Over Time in the Transformation Toward Sustainability: A Framework of
Johann M Majer1, Matthias Barth2, Hong Zhang1
1Department of Social, Organizational, and Political Psychology, Faculty of Education, Institute of Psychology, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany.
Frontiers in Psychology
|May 3, 2021
Summary
Resolving sustainability challenges requires integrating individual (intrapersonal) and group (interpersonal) conflicts. Understanding their interplay is key to finding mutually beneficial solutions for present and future interests.
Area of Science:
- Decision Science
- Social Psychology
- Sustainability Science
Background:
- Sustainability transformation necessitates reconciling present/future interests (intrapersonal conflict) and aligning them with others (interpersonal conflict).
- Existing research predominantly isolates intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts, hindering a comprehensive understanding of sustainability challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To integrate research on individual decision-making and negotiation.
- To address psychological barriers in sustainability transformation by unifying intrapersonal and interpersonal conflict research.
- To propose a novel framework for interdependent conflicts.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis integrating individual decision-making and negotiation theories.
- Development of a unifying framework for interdependent conflicts.
- Scaling the framework to address intra- and intergenerational conflicts within social groups.
Main Results:
- A novel framework for interdependent conflicts is proposed, structuring the interplay between social and temporal dimensions.
- Identifies psychological barriers arising from complex interdependencies in conflict resolution.
- Extends the framework to group-level analysis, encompassing intra- and intergenerational conflicts.
Conclusions:
- Integrating intrapersonal and interpersonal conflict research offers a richer understanding of sustainability challenges.
- The proposed framework provides a systematic approach to analyzing and addressing psychological barriers in sustainability transformation.
- Identified intervention approaches and propositions can guide transition management and future research.
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