The dialog may loop back to earlier phases of discussion. The action phase may lead cyclically back to antagonism. Rothman calls the first phase the antagonism phase. The goal of this phase is to bring suppressed differences to the surface, and to analyze the sources of the parties' animosity. Participants are asked to air their grievances.
Facilitators are present to set boundaries and keep the venting from getting out of control.
Identity conflicts are usually framed adversarially. Signs of adversarial framing include blaming the other side, polarizing the parties, attributing negative characteristics to the other side, and projecting one's own negative traits onto the other side. This type of framing is generally not productive. However, by allowing the participants to vent this unproductive accusations, the ARIA process will encourage participants to reframe their conflict in more productive terms. In the resonance phase, discussion focuses on identifying the parties' common needs and shared motivations.