Conflict Research Consortium
University of Colorado, USA

The Resolution of Conflict

The Resolution of Conflict, Morton Deutsch, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1973) 420 pp.

TOPICS:

Escalation control; Negotiation, mediation, facilitation, and consensus building; of general applicability to environmental problems; written for first and third party participants.

ABSTRACT:

The Resolution of Conflict is a collection of theoretic and experimental investigation into the nature of conflict, and a search for strategies of conflict regulation and resolution.

The Resolution of Conflict will be of interest to those who seek to understand the nature and function of conflict, to distinguish between productive forms of conflict and destructive forms, and to identify strategies for regulating and resolving conflict. This work consists of thirteen chapters divided into three parts, with an index and bibliography. The first seven chapters are theoretic, and make up part one. Chapters eight to twelve are research papers, and make up part two. Part three consists of a single concluding essay.

Chapter one introduces the topic of conflict and conflict resolution. It outlines the variables which affect the course of conflict, offers a typology of conflict, discusses the function of conflict, and makes a distinction between destructive and constructive conflicts. Chapter two describes the major differences between cooperative and competitive processes, and discusses both processes as they occur within a group, and between groups. Chapter three discusses intra-psychic conflict, or inner conflict, from four psychological approaches: learning theory, consistency theory, role theory, and psychoanalytic theory. It then summarizes the common findings of these approaches. Chapter four discusses group formation, focusing on the role of cooperation in group formation, and the role that group membership plays in personal identity. Chapter five moves on to discuss inter-group conflicts. It first discusses external conditions which are conducive to inter-group conflict. It then considers the effects of conflict on group cohesiveness, structure and power. Class and race conflict are used as illustrations of inter-group conflict. Chapter six explores the roles of threats and promises in conflict, and compares threats and promises to other forms of social influence. Chapter seven outlines a theory of trust and suspicion. The author presents a series of basic definitions of terms, and of basic psychological assumptions, from which he derives nineteen hypotheses concerning the occurrence of a trusting choice. The chapter concludes with a discussion of some forms of pathology of trust.

Chapter eight presents the results of several early experimental studies which employed the Prisoner's Dilemma to explore issues trust and suspicion. Chapter nine presents initial studies exploring the effects of threat and communication upon interpersonal bargaining. Chapter ten studies these issues further. Chapter eleven turns to research on structural and attitudinal factors in bargaining. Factors considered include size of the conflict, and the role of irrevocable commitment or brinkmanship. Chapter twelve presents experimental studies which compare and evaluate various strategies for inducing cooperation.

The final chapter explores the factors which influence the resolution of conflict. It describes the typical course of destructive conflicts, and of productive conflicts. The author suggests that "the characteristic processes and effects elicited by a given type of social relationship (cooperative or competitive) tend also to elicit that type of social relationship." In other words, cooperation breeds cooperation. This chapter explores the conditions needed for the regulation of conflict, and strategies for changing the course of conflicts away from destructive processes and toward productive processes.

The Resolution of Conflict is an early and insightful investigation of the factors at play in productive and destructive conflicts. Its theoretic discussions are very accessible for a general audience, and will provide the reader with a excellent basic understanding of conflict and conflict resolution.

Tanya Glaser

Conflict Research Consortium
Campus Box 580, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA 80309-0580
Phone: 303-492-1635; Fax: 303-499-0354; E-mail: crc@colorado.edu
Web: http://conflict.colorado.edu http://www.conflictresearch.org