ABSTRACT
Awareness of multiple theories helps to explain why conflict occurs as it does. Understanding what motivates and affects human behaviors reveals the multifaceted nature of conflict. Theories of human behavior tend to fall in two areas: nature (biological) or nurture (situational). This chapter explores early views of conflicts, such as those focused on human aggression and internal psychological states. As conflict studies expanded, the field produced theories explaining strategies and tactics, such as game theory. Modern theories include explanations of how individuals assign motives (attribution theory) and comparisons of human conflict to economic models (social exchange theory). Interaction theories explore how meaning is constructed; systems approaches examine how conflict is shaped by multiple factors including the context in which it occurs.
