CCTS
Review 35

Book reviews
by Francesca Cerletti

Psychologists, War and the State

A Review of Ron Roberts (ed), Just War: Psychology and Terrorism, PCC Books, 2007, ISBN 978 1 89805992 9, £18.00

What is the role of psychologists in relation to war, peace and terrorism? The 12 contributions to Just War examine this question from different angles. Recurrent themes and considerations emerge, exposing further dilemmas, some specific to the discipline, others for all of us to ponder.

Psychologists as a group do not come out well. The opening chapter, for example, reviews how psychologists and psychiatrists in the UK and US have contributed to military research, and the development of interrogation techniques. Some of the experiments reported make horrifying reading. Nimisha Patel’s chapter, for instance, explores the role of psychologists in relation to torture. The absence of a Hippocratic Oath for psychologists, and of legally binding legislation, does not absolve them of responsibility for the consequences of their work. One can understand the desire of individuals to contribute their skills for the benefit of the state, but this has to be within a responsible, ethical framework.

The serious critique articulated in the book does not of course apply to all individual practitioners, some of whom have been active in denouncing unacceptable practices. But Just War is a call to psychologists to take responsibility as a profession. Contrast this with the dismal official response of British psychologists, as reviewed in Ron Roberts’ chapter, to the war in Iraq.

Overall, the book exhorts psychologists to recognise and take responsibility for the consequences of their work and how it is used, even where they are not directly involved. It also calls for psychologists to deconstruct the arguments frequently used by politicians to persuade their populations to accept a decision to go to war. A good example of such deconstruction is the chapter by Steve Potter and Julie Lloyd, in which the authors analyse the war speeches of Tony Blair and George Bush and expose the narrowness of the victory/defeat model underlying their statements.

Just War is a challenging read. It makes bold assertions, some of which readers may be tempted to regard as arising out of political bias. But the supporting evidence cited is strong, and the assertions are not more incredible than were the allegations of collusion between the British secret services and Ulster paramilitaries, which we now know did occur. Certainly the more serious claims being made demand investigation.

The book, however, ends on a positive note with John Slobada, Ron Roberts and David Harper looking at the role psychologists and psychiatrists have played and could play in the construction of a more peaceful world.

Understanding Mediation

A review of Marian Roberts Developing the Craft of Mediation: Reflections on Theory and Practice, Jessica Kingsley (publishers) 2007, 256 pp, ISBN 9781843103233, pb £19.99

Imagine…..You have been invited to dinner. When you reach your host’s house, to your surprise you realise that you are in excellent company. There are guests you know well; others you know of by name and some come from other lands….

It is a small reunion of mediators: Andrew Acland, Yvonne Craig, Adam Curle, Diana Francis, Fred Gibbons, Mark Hoffman, Roy Lewis, Marion Liebmann, Costanza Marzotto, Philip Naughton, Christoph Paul, Carl Raynolds, Lorraine Schaffer, David Shapiro, Tony Whatling and Tony Willis. There is not a field of mediation which is not represented: neighbourhood, health care complaints, victim-offender, churches, community, workplace, commercial, healthcare complaints, local authorities, and international.

Dinner turns out to be a sumptuous banquet with fascinating company. The conversation is skilfully stimulated by the hostess, Marian Roberts, who creates the right environment for a lively debate on mediation. The guests draw on their extraordinary experience developed in different parts of the world: Italy, Germany, the UK, the Balkans, the Caucasus, the USA, South America, Vietnam, West Africa, Australia and New Zealand, to name a few.

As the evening draws into the night, all major aspects of mediation are discussed. You leave the house inebriated by the hospitality and the conversation, stunned by the people and leaving the consolidation of your impressions for tomorrow.

This is how Developing the Craft of Mediation feels. It is an admirable attempt to elicit reflection on practice and how much the “theory” has relevance for it. Like the queen of 18th century drawing-rooms, Marian Roberts prompts her “guests”/interviewees to comment exhaustively on mediation as a whole. The material is then skilfully arranged in three sections.

The first looks at the mediator: what is the motivation in taking on this role? What are the qualities of a mediator? What are the attitudes to conflict? The second part looks at the nature, purpose and principles of mediation and the thorny issue of the relationship between theory and practice. The last section explores styles and models of mediation and problems of practice.

Each topic is introduced with a review of the theoretical discourse and followed by the testimonies of the practitioners. The author then summarises the various points of view expressed, comparing and contrasting them with the relevant theory. The structure and content the book is such that it would make a useful companion in a training course.

Reassuringly, as a practising community mediator, I did not find any great surprises. Mediation is presented as a distinct discipline with its own principles, processes and skills. The primacy of the parties is valued and respected and there is agreement on key principles. It is clear, too, from the interviews that these principles are deeply embedded in people’s practice. The contributions, however, also illustrate that practitioners have developed their own individual styles and that their work as mediators has influenced their approaches in connected spheres, such as facilitation training.
The experiences set out in the book provide an opportunity to learn about and compare the ways in which mediation is applied in different fields. It demonstrates that there is no single route to mediation. Substantial differences emerge too, for instance between the nature of interventions made in the international environment and mediation in the commercial world. The author rightly reminds us of the importance of taking different contexts into account and encourages us to read beyond the actual testimonies. The icing on the cake would have been to have had enough contributions to draw out clear patterns and conclusions in relation to each ‘specialism’, though I realise that this approach would have had substantial implications for the size of the project.

There are a few topics on which I would have liked more detail. For example, the implications for mediation practice (and discourse) if it is rigidly categorised as it seems to be in the USA. Conversely, how does the more flexible approach of European practice manifest itself? Outcomes are another hot issue. What represents a good outcome? Who defines it? How can you evaluate it? I would also have appreciated also a voice speaking for the ‘transformative mediation’ approach, and a clarification of some of some of the points discussed in the text.

Overall, I have read the book with interest, and have particularly enjoyed reading the opinions and comments of those I have not been able to meet. Developing the Craft of Mediation is an interesting overview of both theory and practice in the mediation field. It is a good introduction, and Marian Roberts is true to her aim of offering a pleasant opener to further conversations and analysis.

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