Emotion in Conflict and Negotiation: Introducing the Emotions as Social Information (EASI) Model

This paper reviews the current state of research on the interpersonal effects of emotions in conflict and negotiation. The review shows that a great variety of emotions, such as anger, happiness, guilt, regret, disappointment, and worry, have pervasive effects on negotiation behavior and conflict development. However, the review also reveals some inconsistent findings, especially with regard to the impact of anger and happiness on cooperation and competition. To understand these apparent inconsistencies, I introduce a new model of the interpersonal effects of emotions in conflict and negotiation - the Emotions as Social Information (EASI) model. The EASI model posits that emotions may exert interpersonal influence via two distinct paths - an informational-strategic path and an affective - relational path. Behavior is proposed to depend on the relative strength of these two routes, which is in turn determined by individuals' information processing tendencies and a number of situational characteristics, which are also discussed. I conclude by identifying some avenues for future inquiry.