From Identity to Singularity

Fundamentals of Interaction in Mediation

Abstract

This article analyses the fundamentals of interaction during the process of mediation within the contemporary identity discourse. It describes facets of identity formation as well as the destructive potential of fixed binary positions. It advises the mediator to overcome the divide that separates parties by appreciating their respective positions and it does this by explaining the dynamics of fixed positions or identities and by establishing how to find a win-win situation for both protaganists as they learn to perceive and to respect one another as individual persons and as unique singularities.