Twelve groups of five to seven college students each were randomly formed and assigned one of two decision-making tasks as part of a study of the relational, or control, dimension of interpersonal communication. Group discussions were recorded and transcribed for analysis of act, interact, and double interact patterns. Results indicated…

Conflict is defined by the authors as a struggle over scarce status, power, and resources. They discuss the role of communication as one of the several strategies leading to conflict and as a potential strategy leading to conflict resolution. First, there is tacit communication, wherein the participants are engaged not in face-to-face interactions…

Both popular and academic perceptions of conflict have been historically negative. Conflict, however, or the discrepancy between the demands of the environment and the demands of a living system, is common to individuals, groups, organizations and societies, and is part of the communication process by which living things interact with their…