International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution
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International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution The ICCCR was founded at Teachers College, Columbia University, in 1986 under the direction of Professor Emeritus Morton Deutsch, Ph.D., one of the world’s most respected scholars of conflict resolution. Professor Deutsch, an eminent social psychologist, has been widely honored for his scientific contributions involving research on cooperation and competition, social justice, group dynamics, and conflict resolution. He has published extensively and is well known for his pioneering studies in intergroup relations, social conformity, and the social psychology of justice. His books include: Interracial Housing (1951); Theories in Social Psychology (1965); The Resolution of Conflict (1973); Distributive Justice (1985); and The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice (2000). The Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (MD-ICCCR) is an innovative center committed to developing knowl- edge and practice to promote constructive conflict resolution, effective cooperation, and social justice. We partner with individuals, groups, organizations, and communities to create tools and environments through which conflicts can be resolved constructively and just and peaceful relationships can thrive. We work with sensitivity to cultural differences and emphasize the links between theory, research, and practice. While many conflict resolution centers provide training and consulting, our practice is rooted in our own original, leading-edge scholarship. © The Author(s) 2015 131 P.T. Coleman and M. Deutsch, Morton Deutsch: A Pioneer in Developing Peace Psychology, SpringerBriefs on Pioneers in Science and Practice 30, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-15440-4 132 International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution Theory and Research • Building on the theoretical legacies of Kurt Lewin and Morton Deutsch, we conduct basic and applied research on theory related to conflict, justice, coop- eration, and systemic change. • We work to bridge the gap between theory and practice in these areas. Education • We educate future leaders who will further the development of theory and practice in the interrelated areas of conflict resolution, cooperation, and social justice with the ultimate goal of understanding and supporting sustainable peace. • We seek to increase public awareness of constructive methods for conflict prevention and resolution, of the many forms of oppression, and of strategies for overcoming social injustice in families, organizations, and communities worldwide and for fostering sustainable peace. Practice • We work with educational, non-profit, corporate, and governmental organiza- tions to provide culturally sensitive and locally relevant services related to conflict, violence, justice, cooperation, and social change. • We seek to broaden and enhance our international collaborative network. Research Overview Decades of research at the MD-ICCCR has addressed the question: What deter- mines whether conflicts move in a constructive or destructive direction? While the answers to such questions are complex, we seek to identify the most fundamental factors that lead to qualitative differences in the dynamics of conflict and peace. Our research employs multiple disciplines, paradigms and methods to investigate the problems and opportunities of conflict in our world with the aim of fostering innovative practice and education. This research has spawned new insights and new research questions, including: • Are there optimal ratios of different motives that lead to constructive conflict? • What determines fundamental differences in mediation strategies and the con- structiveness of mediation? • How do power differences between disputants affect conflicts and how can they be resolved constructively? • How do cultural differences between disputants affect conflicts and how can they be resolved constructively? • What determines whether conflicts over injustice and oppression move in a constructive or destructive direction? • What are the fundamental dimensions of sustainable human development? • Why do some types of conflicts seem impossible to resolve and what can we do to manage or resolve them? • What determines the sustainability of peace? International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution 133 Building on the foundational scholarship of Kurt Lewin and Morton Deutsch, the Center believes in the power of ideas to improve our world, and in the critical role leading-edge science plays in advancing and refining those ideas. Its approach is to develop conceptual models that address gaps in existing theory and research, often through eliciting insights from informed participants (local stakeholders and prac- titioners), and then to empirically test and develop the models using a variety of methods. Its scholarship bridges the theory-practice gap in our field by bringing new insights from research to bear on important technical and social problems, and by honoring practical expertise in the development of new theory. Work on such complex problems requires to integrate theory and research from a variety of dif- ferent disciplines, to employ multiple methods such as case studies, surveys, lab experiments and computer modeling, and to work in multidisciplinary teams. The Center links its research to contemporary social problems, and communicate its findings to both scholarly audiences and the general public. Education Overview Situated at Teachers College, a top-ranked graduate school of education, the IC- CCR is recognized for educational excellence. The Center offers a wide range of courses for scholar-practitioners in the areas of cooperation, conflict resolution, dynamical systems, and social justice. It develops and provides state-of-the-art instruction, training, and professional development for students, practitioners, educators, and organizational leaders. It continues to generate additional opportu- nities for our external educational work with non-profit organizations, agencies, and communities nationally and internationally. The ICCCR is committed to building relationships with a variety of organizations to allow students to gain practical experience. It provides a bridge between the academic community and experienced practitioners as we support and encourage a reflective scholar-practitioner model. Website: http://icccr.tc.columbia.edu/ About the Authors Morton Deutsch (USA) is E.L. Thorndike Professor and director emeritus of the Morton Deutsch Interna- tional Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (MD-ICCCR) at Teachers College, Columbia Univer- sity. He studied with Kurt Lewin at MIT’s Research Center for Group Dynamics, where he obtained his Ph. D. in 1948. He is well-known for his pioneering studies in intergroup relations, cooperation-competition, con- flict resolution, social conformity, and the social psychology of justice. His books include Interracial Housing, Research Methods in Social Relations, Preventing World War III: Some Proposals, Theories in Social Psychology, The Resolution of Conflict, Applying Social Psychology, and Distributive Justice. His work has been widely honored by the Kurt Lewin Memorial Award, the G.W. Allport Prize, the Carl Hovl and Memorial Award, the AAAS Socio-Psy- chological Prize, APA’s Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, SESP’s Distinguished Research Scientist Award, and the Nevitt Sanford Award. He is a William James Fellow of APS. He has also received lifetime achievement awards for his work on conflict management, cooperative learning, peace psychology, and applications of psychology to social issues. In addition, he has received the Teachers College Medal for his contributions to education, the Helsinki Univer- sity medal for his contributions to psychology, and the doctorate of humane letters from the City University of New York. He has been president of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, the International Society of Political Psychology, the Eastern Psychological Association, the New York State Psychological Association, and several divisions of the American Psychological Association. It is not widely known, but after postdoctoral training, Deutsch received a certificate in psychoanalysis in 1958 and conducted a limited practice of psychoanalytic psychotherapy for more than twenty-five years. © The Author(s) 2015 135 P.T. Coleman and M. Deutsch, Morton Deutsch: A Pioneer in Developing Peace Psychology, SpringerBriefs on Pioneers in Science and Practice 30, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-15440-4 136 About the Authors Address: Prof. Dr. Morton Deutsch, Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution. Professor of Psychology and Education. Program in Social-Organizational Psychology, Department of Organization and Leadership, Teachers College, Columbia University, Box 53, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA. Website: http://icccr.tc.columbia.edu/. E-mail: [email protected]. A website with additional information on Morton Deutsch, including links to videos and a selection of his major covers is at: http://afes-press-books.de/html/ SpringerBriefs_PSP_MortonDeutsch.htm Peter T. Coleman (USA) holds a Ph.D. in Social/ Organizational Psychology from Columbia University; Professor of Psychology and Education at Columbia University with a joint-appointment at Teachers Col- lege and The Earth Institute and teaches courses in Conflict Resolution, Social Psychology, and Social Science Research; Director of the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation