Mediating and Negotiating Marital Conflicts / Edition 1

by Desmond Ellis, Noreen Stuckless

Overview

Conflicts associated with marital separation and divorce have, traditionally, been settled by lawyers through negotiations. Since 1980 in the United States, an increasing proportion of these conflicts have been settled or resolved through the process of marital-conflict mediation. Critics of mediation contend that the process fails to protect women from violent partners and that agreements neutralize the impact of gender-based power imbalances. Mediators argue that it is lawyers who are responsible for escalating conflict and that the legal process is costly and causes stressful delays in the separation process.

The authors of this volume find that these arguments are ideologically driven and rarely supported by empirical

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761905035
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	08/15/1996
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction
Definition of Concepts
Theory
Causal Mechanisms in Lawyer Negotiations and Mediation
The Choice of Mediation or the Adversarial Process
Marital Violence
Spousal Violence
Postseparation
Power Imbalances in Divorce Mediation
Issues and Outcome
Processes, Outcomes, and Satisfaction
Compliance
Economic Consequences
Effects on Children

Editorial Reviews

Based on a comparative study of clients of private lawyers and clients of court-based mediation services, provides an empirical perspective on the growing practice of negotiating and mediating marital separation and divorce rather than duking it out the old fashioned way. Explains the theory and some implementation of court-based services to protect powerless partners from further abuse and other harmful consequences and to mitigate the impact on children. Paper edition (unseen), $17.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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