Mediation is but one facet of a spectrum of conflict management interventions, starting from the extreme of avoidance, to conciliation, negotiation, mediation, arbitration, litigation, to the extreme of violence/war. There are many different ways people us to resolve disputes.
Mediation offers participants the opportunity to have an impartial third party guide discussions that uncover the issues in conflict, the different perspectives on those issues, and which offers the participants an opportunity to craft solutions that are mutually satisfying, if they choose to. Mediation is a process that values voluntariness, self-determination, confidentiality, and an impartial third party facilitator - the mediator.