The 9/11 events impacted all levels of American society, including conflict resolvers, who in addition to their professional roles, are also members of communities. The purpose of this study is to further our understanding of the impact of 9/11 on the thinking, affect and behavior of conflict practitioners and to demonstrate how traumatic events such as those on 9/11 influence practitioners’ cognition, perceptions, beliefs and knowledge as well as their behavior, attitudes, values and feelings regarding their work. Specifically it investigated how conflict practitioners made meaning of the traumatic events on 9/11 and how the tragedy affected them personally and professionally. It provides insights on practicing conflict resolution under conditions of trauma, and includes the interplay of research and theory. Concepts of neutrality and objectivity are also explored.
My target audience for this research is the community of practitioners, researchers and theorists in the conflict resolution field. The study is exploratory and relies heavily on qualitative methods and interpretative research. Methodologies include input from multiple perspectives including expert informants who self report as experts in the field. This research is conducted through in-depth interviews with individuals and focus groups. Three groups of conflict practitioners are selected for this study: lead, mid-level and grass roots practitioners. A total of 53 respondents participated in this research. The experts' work varies in focus and application, and relies heavily on an in-depth analysis of rich historical text related to their work and their institutional affiliations.
This study confirms changes in conflict practitioners' cognition, affect and behavior on the personal and professional levels. Most practitioners believed that 9/11 did not change their perceptions of their role or perceptions of disputants, but raised questions about their ability to influence the outcome. They confirmed the multiplicity of roles that they engaged in pre- and post- 9/11. These roles included educators, facilitators, mediators, trainers and evaluators. Secondly, they explained that they had to rethink strategies to engage in these various roles, especially in the context of a national and international crisis that was characterized with violence and trauma. Thirdly, they confirmed that these roles had to support their ongoing commitment to social justice, empowerment, and the peaceful resolution of conflict. Furthermore, they expressed differences in the level of readiness in responding to such a critical event.
Some shared that they developed a diminished vision of the value of Alternative Dispute Resolution, while others expressed their surprise that individuals impacted by 9/11 were not interested in their services. Most practitioners reported a deep understanding of their own values, beliefs and how these impact the way they do their work. Many expressed the need for emotional fluency when dealing with images of violence like the ones they experienced in the events of 9/11.
A critical event like 9/11 pressed practitioners to increase their knowledge about the psychological impact of trauma and traumatic stress.. They shared that the topic of terrorism gained additional attention in their work, especially with outside organizations such as universities and funding agencies.
Practitioners revisited their working assumptions as they relate to neutrality and culture and identified ethical and practical dilemmas in their practice. They also expressed a desire to work in advocacy roles to help influence institutional changes with the goal of impacting public policy on issues of concern. Collectively, practitioners felt they needed to promote conflict resolution education as a peaceful tool for societal change. They condemned patriotic sentiments that justified violations of human rights and civil liberties.
This project is significant in the context of the evolution of conflict resolution practice. Individuals with a desire to join or study the conflict resolution field might also be interested in the research. My hope is that by analyzing and describing the voices of a diverse pool of practitioners, the research will reveal a deeper level of analysis that may have not been articulated or explored previously in the study of conflict resolution practice.