A potential gain is what an individual values and may obtain as a result of a given decision. When there's a potential gain, it’s something we hope we’re going to get, though we may not be certain that we will.
Conversely, a risk of loss can be defined as the chance that a person will not attain their goal and/or lose something valued as a result of choosing a particular option in a decision.
If there's a risk of loss, we tend to move away from meeting a particular need because we fear we're going to lose something valued.
When we juggle gains and losses in everyday decision-making, two of the potential gains that we consider most often are time and money; both of these are things that we don’t want to lose.
EXAMPLE
When you’re going shopping at the grocery store, you might cut out some coupons and take them with you so that you can gain as much as you can for the least amount of money.EXAMPLE
You’re going to go out to dinner and a movie with your friend, and you need to choose a restaurant. Spending time with your friend is important, so you choose a restaurant that's close to the theater. This way, you’ll have more time to talk over dinner before you go to the movie.All conflict resolution strategies are really built around the idea that parties can maximize their gains and minimize their losses when they enter a solution-oriented meeting.
Instilling that confidence in the parties is important; it's one of the things the mediator or the conflict-resolver will work to do.
The mediator will sit with the parties and show them what they have to gain by participating in this process. Regardless of which resolution method is used, there's more possibility of gaining by going through the process than losing.
Source: ADAPTED FROM SOPHIA TUTORIAL BY MARLENE JOHNSON.