Perception and Emotion in the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution

A procedure is put forward for using the graph model for conflict resolution to account for the role of emotion in strategic conflict. The concept of possibility provides a framework for modeling decision makers´ subjective perceptions of outcomes in a conflict, which can conceal logically valid states or expose states that are otherwise invisible. The implicit assumption of the graph model, that all decision makers´ directed graphs have the same set of states, and hence that all decision makers share the same conceptualization of the conflict, is no longer appropriate. The proposed analysis technique for asymmetric state sets is suitable for use when emotions have caused discrepancies in the apprehension of a situation, and it permits exploration of the behavioral consequences of these perceptual differences. The 1990s confrontation in Chechnya between Russia and Chechen Rebels, an emotionally-leaden struggle with inconsistent perceptions, is used to illustrate the new procedure