ABSTRACT
What happens when we have a clash of incompatible interests with a friend or colleague? We enter into social conflict and we must figure out if we can negotiate our conflict or if we need to approach our differences from the perspective of persuasive dialogue. This chapter covers the issues of social conflict including types of outcomes (win-win, win-lose, lose-lose), destructive versus productive conflict, and symmetrical versus asymmetrical conflict. When we are approaching a conflict, we need to decide why, when, how, and whether to fight. Once engaged in a conflict, using Kathleen Reardon’s negotiation strategies can help us successfully reach the best outcome. We end the chapter with a discussion of the possible need for facilitation of conflict and the importance of persuasive dialogue.
