Negotiators undo
themselves by bringing faulty assumptions to the bargaining
table, writes Leigh Thompson, U. Washington (J. Pers. &
Soc. Psychology). One
such assumption, the incompatibility perception, is the belief
that the other party’s
interests are completely opposed to one’s own interests,
Thompson says. In related
experiments, third parties were much more accurate in their
judgments about
what each person in a negotiation really wanted.
When people feel threatened, their psychological defenses inhibit
their ability to read opponents’ wishes accurately. Also, under
threat, people
are less likely to express themselves openly and honestly and
more likely to
react defensively.
When seeking a third party to resolve a dispute, consider the
advantages
of choosing a psychologist or psychiatrist with business
experience or an experienced
mediator, says negotiator Patrick Phear of The Levinson Institute
staff. If
the third party has to come from inside, choose someone neither
side knows well
who won’t have, or be suspected of having, a hidden agenda. 
