Boundaries to Our Model of Strategic Conflict

Four important scope conditions outline the range and (thus) the applicability of our model. In limiting our boundaries, these scope conditions require a focus on issues that are centrally important for strategic conflict.

First, we have not exhaustively reviewed or represented research on the topic of conflict management. As the reader can imagine, research on interpersonal conflict is vast and daunting. An academic search for articles on “interpersonal conflict,” “marital conflict,” “supervisor subordinate conflict,” and so on will yield thousands of studies over the past 50 years. No book or series of books can possibly exhaust all the studies of conflict. Additionally, the publication dates of the research that we cite represent a span of time wherein researchers have followed their interests. Accordingly, our references include research from the past 50 years. Two personality factors illustrate this observation: locus of control emerged as a hot topic in the 1970s through the 1980s; however, narcissism has emerged as a hot topic since about 2001. We have tried to represent earlier as well as recent research.

Second, we needed to make some painful decisions regarding what literature to include versus to exclude. Our criterion was whether a topic was central to developing the concept of strategic conflict. Several other areas of research hold implications for conflict management and they deserve elaboration. These areas include intrapersonal conflicts dominance behaviors expectation violations (Afifi & Metts, 1998), hurtful messages, relational uncertainty, mediation, negotiation and intergroup conflict peace building, moral conflict, and so on. We certainly hope that our colleagues who research conflict-related areas forgive us for not mentioning their fine work. We also ask scholars whose research on conflict is not referenced to forgive us.

Third, the model we propose relies on interpersonal communication/rela- tional communication research from North America, England and its former colonies (Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand), and Western Europe—coun- tries dominated by Eurocentric attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors (Kim & Leung, 2000). In these Western nations, being direct and cooperative typically indicates respect for the other person. Elsewhere, people tend to value !«direct conflict tactics, which would show respect for the other person much more than direct messages (Ting-Toomey, 2010). Moreover, research regarding fam­ily, intercultural, and organizational conflict reveals other contextual factors that affect individual conflict behaviors (e.g., Canary et al., 1995; Oetzel, Arcos, Mabizela, Weinman, & Zhang, 2006; Putnam & Poole, 1987; Ting-Toomey & Oetzel, 2001).

Finally, the reader will likely need other experts for help regarding social and personal conflicts. Psychiatrists, therapists, and mediation experts can look into the specifics of your life and coach you on how to handle demanding and overwhelming problems. For instance, people suffering from severe depression need the help of therapists, ongoing drug protocol, and perhaps hospitalization to recover. When discussing the effects of chronic drinking, we focus on how it affects a person’s conflict thoughts and actions. However, ongoing use of alcohol probably means that the person needs help. That person needs to take advantage of one of many hospital-based or clinically-based recovery centers and/or utilize a twelve-step program (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous), which have proven suc­cessful for most problem drinkers and drug abusers. In brief, our book does NOT replace any treatment, therapy, or counseling programs. Our book focuses only on strategic conflict—how individuals can optimally manage their conflicts in a mindful manner.

Concerning material discussed in this first chapter, we offer our conclusions and suggestions for strategic conflict:

Conclusion 1.1: Strategic conflict involves thoughts and behaviors that help one maximize the chance of the best possible outcomes.

Conclusion 1.2: Mindfulness is a necessary requirement for strategic conflict.

Conclusion 1.3: Strategic conflict involves strategic objectives for different events of conflict.

Conclusion 1.4: Strategic conflict works best when the goals and interests of the other person are considered.

Suggestion 1.1: Each person is the one most responsible for his or her own behavior and thus people create their own conflict processes and outcomes.

Suggestion 1.2: People should become more mindful of various conflict events where strategic options change.

Suggestion 1.3: Be mindful that strategic objectives include episodic control, individ­ual control, attribution control, goal control, strategic control, and interaction control. Suggestion 1.4: Be mindful that this book has boundaries: this is especially impor­tant when individuals need professional help; for example, couple counseling and medical intervention provide help to people with specific needs or concerns.

The purpose of this book is to provide you with helpful conclusions and sug­gestions regarding strategic conflict. In addition to the topics reflected in our Model of Strategic Conflict, we present material that we think is relevant to strategic conflict. Importantly, before we develop elements of our model of stra­tegic conflict we present the “Dual Concern” perspective and factors that work in tandem with strategic conflict to affect relational stability and quality. Also, we offer chapters of different lengths. For example, the accounts chapter (Chap­ter 6) is double the size of the transgressions chapter (Chapter 5), mostly because responses to transgressions are well represented by how people offer accounts for their failure behaviors.

In conclusion, we want to increase your mindful use of strategies that help you gain control of different conflict events and outcomes. As with all scholarly attempts, this book will be useful for the ideas that you find salient and important. We hope that you will learn and recall the findings, conclusions, and suggestions for strategic conflict that you can apply to your life.