Ecosystemic Complexity Theory of Conflict: Understanding the Fog of Conflict.

Counselors often engage in conflict mediation in professional practice. A model for understanding the complex and subtle nature of conflict resolution is presented. The ecosystemic complexity theory of conflict is offered to assist practitioners in navigating the fog of conflict. Theoretical assumptions are discussed with implications for clinical settings. ********** Conflict resolution is a rapidly growing area in professional counseling practice (Brinson, Kottler, & Fisher, 2004; Messing, 1993). Corcoran and Mallinckrodt (2000) emphasized that "counselors increasingly perform the role of professional mediator for their clients" (p. 481). McFarland (1992) proposed that professional counselors could educate and train their clients in peaceful resolution skills and are "poised to empower people" (p. 20) if they are equipped with a strong theoretical foundation and the proper tools. School counselors, marriage and family counselors, and group counselors all work with people in conflict on a regular basis. Often, commanders in battle discuss how difficult it is to understand exactly what is happening on a field of battle, and they call this the "fog of war" (Clausewitz, 1984). Counselors frequently report the same feelings of ambiguity and confusion about conflict situations, and we call this the "fog of conflict." Even coming to a basic understanding of the interplay in the dynamics of the conflicting parties is often daunting. Participants in a conflict often provide contradictory stories and may not understand what has happened or why they are in conflict. This is because conflict occurs as a dynamic process eluding simplistic linear views of its nature and origin. In the present article, we discuss the ecosystemic complexity theory of conflict (ECTC), which can provide a structure to navigate the fog that surrounds most conflicts. ECTC is based on the theoretical, clinical, and research foundations of C. Brack, G. Brack, and associates, who have mapped the usefulness of systems theory with a variant of complexity theory for helping professionals in a wide domain of human services (C. Brack, Brack, & Zucker, 1995; G. Brack, Brack, Hill, & Frielich, 1998; G. Brack, Jones, Smith, White, & Brack, 1993; Kurpius, Brack, Brack, & Dunn, 1993). The following five assumptions are largely drawn from the fields of systems and complexity theory and form the foundation for ECTC: 1. Human dynamics are nonlinear and often incapable of being understood from a Newtonian view of the human condition. 2. These human dynamics exist in a multilayered social field that contains various factors that affect how conflict originates, how conflict is addressed, and how conflict is resolved. 3. Human dynamics, especially in conflictual areas, are unpredictable and difficult to impossible to control. 4. Despite the unpredictability of human conflict, there are certain emergent patterns that appear and offer opportunities for positive change. 5. Rather than devising control-oriented interventions toward conflict, the counseling practitioner must rely on adaptation and change to bring about mutually satisfying resolutions. Using a case scenario to illustrate the ECTC model and how it may be useful to counselors, we explore the complex and subtle nature of conflict and its resolution in the following discussion. Each of the assumptions is delineated in the following sections and then related to the practice of counseling in the 21st century, specifically as applied to the fictional case of Bob and Renee. Bob, a 39-year-old man, is a full-time MBA student. He has been married to Renee for 8 years and dated her for 6 years prior to marriage. They have one child, a 4-yearold boy, Philip. Like many couples, Bob and Renee have had their ups and downs. Over the 14-year relationship, they seem to have maintained the same fights. …