Frame Identification Activity

The first step in understanding the concept of conflict framing is being able to identify frames when you see and hear them. In real-life situations, frames are usually expressed by people through their public comments found in newspapers, public hearings, and other venues where policy issues are discussed. However, they may also be heard and identified in everyday conversation, over a cup of coffee, or may even be embodied in someone's non-verbal actions or behavior.

Though less reliable than spoken or written words, you may be able to identify how a group frames a conflict situation by the images on their websites or in their brochures, and often in what they do not express in their literature (i.e. what they DO NOT mention in their literature is as important an indicator of framing activities as what they do mention).

In this activity, you must search through the newspapers, public hearings, internal communications, websites, brochures, conversations, and other provided information to identify one or more of the following frames:

• Identity
• Characterization
• Gain/Loss
• Risk
• Views of Nature
• Fact
• Conflict Management (or Process)

Once you have identified the occurrence of one of these frames, explain why you feel that this particular example illustrates the frame you have selected. You may note that a particular statement may express a number of different frames at the same time. Here are some additional questions to help you think about framing:

• How many of the major types of frames did you find?
• Were some frames easier to find than others?
• What shortcuts or steps did you use to help you identify the frames?
• What are the dominant frames reflected in the scenario?
• How does frame analysis help you understand the conflict?
• When and why do frames change?
• Can frames be changed through intervention?