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Preface <br />All societies, communities, organizations, and interper- <br />sonal relationships experience conflict at one time or another in <br />the process of day-to-day interaction. Conflict is not necessarily <br />bad, abnormal, or dysfunctional; it is a fact of life. Conflict and <br />disputes exist when people are engaged in competition to meet <br />goals that are perceived as, or actually are, incompatible. How- <br />ever, conflict may go beyond competitive behavior and acquire <br />the additional goals of inflicting physical or psychological <br />damage on or destroying an opponent. It is then that the nega- <br />tive and harmful dynamics of conflict take their full costs. <br />All disputes, however, do not have to follow the negative <br />course described above. Conflict can lead to growth and be pro- <br />ductive for all parties. Productive conflict resolution, however, <br />depends on the abilities of the participants to devise efficient <br />cooperative problem-solving procedures, the participants' capac- <br />ities to lay aside distrust and animosity and work together, and <br />the availability of solutions that will at least partially satisfy all <br />of the participants' interests. Unfortunately, many people in <br />conflict are unable to develop an effective process, deal with the <br />psychological barriers to settlement, or develop integrative solu- <br />tions on their own. People in conflict often need help to resolve <br />their differences. <br />ix <br />