Description

The fundamental concept in social science is power,
in the same sense in which energy is the fundamental
concept in physics. - Russell (1938) Communication is the manifest stage of conflict;
that is, it surfaces as social interaction or as
strategies and tactics. As such, communication seems
bound by a set of presumed relationships between
communication and conflict. - Putnam (2006) In mediation, facework is the effort that
participants and mediators put into managing face. -
Littlejohn & Domenici (2006)

The selected quotations capture the essential
elements of conflict: power, communication,
mediation, and facework. Communication is central to
the current investigation because messages are the
by-ways for communicating power and facework during
mediation sessions. Despite mediation s popularity
and its potential for helping understand
communication related to power and face issues in
conflict, there is surprisingly little empirical
research about the theoretical and practical issues
of conflict. Therefore, this study explores the
relationships between mediator power and disputant
facework and their effect on face concerns and facework.