Interpersonal Conflict

Abstract

Revising this, the tenth of edition of Interpersonal Conflict, brought me the opportunity to reflect on how the field has changed since I first began to research the field for my disserta tion at the University of Texas in 1973. Since our first edition in 1978, conflict resolution has transformed into many subfields: peacemaking, third-party intervention, prevention of conflict, and the integration of personal transformation with interpersonal communication choices. This edition reflects many of the recent changes in the field. All chapters reflect recent research on interpersonal conflict. As has been our practice, I have removed earlier citations that are so foundational that they need not be specifically cited. All chapters have been revised and in some cases, reorganized and rewritten for read ability and clarity. New additions of “How would this sound?” give examples of dialogue the students may use to enlarge their conflict communication. Clearer organization and subheadings guide the reader through the text. The book still contains the 10 chapters in the same order. Chapter One, “The Nature of Conflict,” retains the resilient definition of conflict that has gained acceptance and use for more than three decades. This definition is now where it belongs, at the beginning of the chapter. Added emphasis on transforming the elements of conflict, with a special focus on perception, reflects the trend in the wider field to view elements as capable of transformation. The chapter includes activities on intrapersonal conflict, introducing the student to self-reflection as a basic first step. Examples and cases referring to same-sex relationships are added throughout. The chapter presents a persua sive case for studying conflict. Chapter Two, “Perspectives on Conflict,” retains the popular section on worldviews that influence one’s approach to conflict. The metaphors of conflict section retains the simplified approach, organizing metaphors around danger and opportunity, used in the last edition. A new section on how narratives frame conflict has been added, with an extensive case study that illustrates the approach. The previous “lens view” of conflict has been removed, since it was redundant with new material on perception. Chapter Three, “Interests and Goals,” retains the popular teaching tool of the TRIP acronym (Topic, Relationship, Identity, and Process goals), which helps students analyze layers of any conflict. Several cases are extended to further exemplify the changing nature of goals.