Mediators and the Trait of Sensory Processing Sensitivity: Study Reveals a Significant Correlation

Charlie Irvine, Barbara Wilson and Jo Saunders, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.  

Keywords: sensory processing sensitivity; highly sensitive person; HSP; mediators; mediation; mediation empirical research

Abstract: Are mediators born or made? Is there such a thing as a ‘natural mediator’? Bowling and Hoffman’s influential (2003) collection, ‘Bringing Peace into the Room,’ considers: ‘How the personal qualities of the mediator impact the process of conflict resolution.’ These questions are troubling for practitioners and educators. Does training matter, or are such qualities, or traits, innate? ‘Trait’ can be defined as ‘A distinguishing quality or characteristic, typically belonging to a person’ (Lexico 2020). Are some individuals drawn to conflict resolution work because they already possess these qualities? Or because they seek them? This article contributes to the debate by reporting on a study into the prevalence of a particular trait, sensory processing sensitivity, in a sample of 181 English-speaking mediators. The study found that these mediators were significantly more likely to possess the trait than the average population. The implications for practice and training are discussed.

Author Biographies: 

Charlie Irvine, Senior Teaching Fellow and Course Director of the LLM/MSc in Mediation and Conflict Resolution, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, 

Barbara Wilson, Visiting Lecturer on the LLM/MSc in Mediation and Conflict Resolution, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. 

Jo Saunders, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychological Science and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.  

Publication Date:  15 April 2023

Citation: Irvine, C,  Wilson, B and Saunders, J (2023) Mediators and the Trait of Sensory Processing Sensitivity Journal of Mediation Theory and Practice, 7-1, 35-56.

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