Reading one of my children’s books over Christmas I found one of my favourite bits of theory ‘the unmet needs’ theory played out in a hilarious manner. In Andy Stanton’s crazy and entertaining book ‘What’s for Dinner Mr Gum’[1] two rival food producers are engaged in intense warfare tossing kebabs, sheep bones and other dangerous edible objects at one another. One of them even builds the ultimate greasy spoon weapon – the Kebablilator – with which to run down his opponent.

Human needs theorists argue that one of the primary causes of protracted or intractable conflict is people’s unyielding drive to meet their unmet needs on the individual, group, and societal level.’[2] Put simply people can behave aggressively, defensively and in other challenging ways if they feel that their needs are not getting met. In this scenario both characters bear this out as one feels rejected and the other threatened. They both also need to feel they have the friendship and patronage of the dreadful Mr Gum. Unmet and conflicting needs! Not much chance of mediation here!

In the middle of the battle a peacemaker character – the Spirit of the Rainbow – arrives with a ringing voice and a good line in anti-war sentiment that mediators will do well to remember as they embark on the 2010s.

‘Billy (one of the culinary aggressors) is only fighting because he is lonely and jealous….if we can turn his mind to thoughts of love the fighting will stop and the world will once again glow with happy colours.’

[1] What’s for Dinner Mr Gum?, Stanton, A, Egmont, London 2009

[2] Unmet Human Needs, Marker, S Beyond Intractability.org  2003