ABSTRACT
Conflict is endemic to social life. All who live in social groups exhibit differences in wealth, in power, in beliefs, in commitments to the way things are and to how they might be, in personality, in ability and in interests. As members of one or more groups, individuals interact with persons in their own group, but also with persons belonging to other groups. In the normal course of events, most individuals are constantly dealing with persons who have different sets of interests; this means that conflicts of interest are a major feature of everyday life in most complex societies. Often the result is social conflict.
