Another Approach to Frames: Interests, Rights, and Power

An influential approach to framing disputes suggests that parties in conflict use one of three frames:

Interests. People are often concerned about what they need, desire, or want. People talk about their “positions”, but often what is at stake is their underlying interests. A person says he “needs” a new text messaging cell phone, but what he really wants is a new electronic toy because all his friends have one. Parties who focus on interests in a dispute are often able to find ways to resolve that dispute.

Rights. People may also be concerned about who is “right” – that is, who has legitimacy, who is correct, or what is fair. Disputes about rights are often resolved by helping the parties find a fair way to determine who is “right”, or that they can both be “right”. This resolution often requires the use of some standard or rule such as “taking turns”, “split it down the middle”, or “age before beauty” to settle the dispute. Disputes over rights are sometimes referred to formal or informal arbitrators to decide whose standards or rights are more appropriate.

Power. People may elect to frame a negotiation on the basis of power. Negotiations resolved by power are sometimes based on who is physically stronger or is able to coerce the other, but more often, it is about imposing other types of costs-economic pressures, expertise, legitimate authority, and so on. Disputes settled by power usually create clear winners and losers, with all the consequences that come from polarizing the dispute and resolving it in this manner.