PSYCHOLOGICAL MODELS OF MEDIATION: CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND RATIONALE FOR A SYSTEMS APPROACH

Abstract

The paper presents a theoretical and methodological analysis of mediation as an object of systemic psychological research. The relevance of the study is determined by the active implementation of mediation in Ukraine’s judicial system, business practice, and social sphere, which requires a deep scientific understanding of the psychological aspects of this phenomenon. The expediency of applying a systemic approach to studying the professional activity of a mediator as a methodological basis for overcoming the fragmentation of existing theoretical models is substantiated. Four main psychological models of mediation are analyzed: the transformative model, the facilitative model, the integrative model, and the narrative mediation. Their methodological limitations are revealed: one-sidedness of focus, insufficient attention to the mediator’s personality, and lack of integration of different levels of analysis. The principles of the systemic approach (integrity, structurality, hierarchy, multiplicity of descriptions, dynamism, determinism) and their application to mediation research are disclosed. A multilevel model of mediation as a systemic psychological phenomenon has been developed, including the macro-level (socio-institutional), meso-level (organizational), micro-level (procedural), and subject level (individual-psychological). It is established that these levels are in relationships of mutual determination, creating a complex system of direct and feedback connections. It is determined that the systemic psychological approach allows integrating personal determinants (cognitive-intellectual, emotional-regulatory, communicative characteristics) and procedural mechanisms (cognitive, emotional-regulatory, communicative, strategic-tactical) of the mediator’s activity into a unified conceptual model.The research results create a methodological basis for developing a systemic psychological concept of mediator’s professional activity, empirical study of its effectiveness factors, and development of scientifically grounded training programs for mediators in Ukraine. The study emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary integration combining psychological, legal, sociological, and pedagogical research to achieve a holistic understanding of mediation.