Research Digest #1

“Crisis (hostage) negotiation: current strategies and issues in high-risk conflict resolution”

Question #1 Identify the strengths and weaknesses of this article.

STRENGTHS
Effective strategies to overcome hostage or non-
hostage situations were carefully planned.
Crisis intervention restores the ability of a person
to cope through the re-establishment of baseline
functioning level.
This research provides the step by step
procedure on how to negotiate properly with the
subject.
When the negotiator successfully applied all the
process in BCSM, he will be able to save the life
of the victim under the hand of the subject.
BCSM and role-play strategies may be applicable
also to non-law enforcement professionals like
psychologist and mediators since they frequently
deal with persons in crisis where violence
potential is high.
Some attitudes of the negotiator in fixing a
problem may be applied to our daily lives.
WEAKNESSES
Some negotiators are impatient not knowing that
TIME is the negotiator ally in diffusing critical
incidents
The subject have to hold a person just to achieve
goals, demands and outcome that he wants.
A hostage situation is a threat to one’s
psychological and physical well-being.
Life of the subject’s victim as well as the
negotiator is always at risk.
Failure to defuse intense emotional level of the
subject may lead to other crimes like homicide or
physical injuries.
Obstacles may occur if the negotiator move
rapidly and end the crisis through premature
problem solving

Question #2 Explain the Behavioral Change Stairway Model as used in their study, and how did they
relate it in their research.

Behavioral Change Stairway Model outlines the relationship-building process involving the
negotiator and the subject which culminated in a peaceful settlement of the critical incident.

5 STAGES OF BCSM

1. Active listening: Understand the psychology of the perpetrator and let them know they are
being listened to.

Active listening is composed of Core and Supplemental groupings.

Core group: Mirroring, Paraphrasing, Emotional Labelling, Summarizing.
Supplemental: Effective Pauses, Minimal encouragers, Open-minded questions, “I”
statements.

It is recommended that the crisis responder use the Core Group until the negotiator has
determined effective “hooks. The Supplemental Group should be used as necessary to enhance the
effectiveness of the core elements.
 Active listening is very essential. It is very important to make the subject feel that the
negotiator truly understands him, that he is there to help him out of his situation, that he is willing to
listen. This is the foundation of effective crisis intervention.

2. Empathy: Understand their issues and how they feel.

The negotiator uses empathy to “see through the eyes” of the person in crisis to absorb
some of the tension. The goal is not to “feel sorry” for the subject, but to establish a
relationship through effective communication, enabling resolution through
collaboration.
Tone is important in addressing empathy, it reflects concern to the subject and
genuineness through inflection and pitch.

3. Rapport: When they begin to see how the negotiator feels, they are building rapport.

In this stage of BCSM, the relationship has been one-sided: the person in crisis has been
talking and the negotiator has been actively listening and empathetic. When the
empathy is shown by the negotiator, rapport develops. The trust of the subject to the
negotiator will increase. The negotiator and the subject will agree where possible
without conceding, it will reduce real differences, and they will find common ground.
The subject will be more amenable to behavior change with the effort of the negotiator.

4. Influence: Only once trust has been gained can solutions to their problem be recommended.

The subject is willing to accept the suggestion of the negotiator as a prelude to behavior
change because the relationship has been established during the rapport. They will now
work together and identify the solutions to their problem and alternatives that are
nonviolent and realistic.

5. Behavioral Change: They act, and maybe surrender.

This will only occur when the negotiator successfully completed the four previous
stages. If not, obstacles may be encountered due to rapidness in movement of the
negotiator through he stages and omitting stages in misguided effort to end the crisis
through premature problem solving.

Achieving a positive relationship between the negotiator and the subject through the
previous stages is the key to behavioral change in a crisis negotiation.

The subject will obey the suggestions of the negotiator in this stage to the extent that
the negotiator’s task in the previous stages have been carried out effectively.