This study surveyed Australian high school students' conceptions of democracy. Students held that equal shares, equal say, equal quality, and rewarding productivity were essential to the democratic processes but emphasized them differently when presented with actual problems to solve democratically. (AM)

Demonstrates that approach gradients can be steeper than avoidance gradients. An individual with an avoidance-approach conflict, placed on the goal side of the intersection of the gradients, would enthusiastically approach a goal previously avoided. Implications of avoidance-approach conflict are discussed. (Author/BEF)

Conflict between a president and a governing board can be reduced by third party intervention. Before a board changes presidents, trustees should seek the best available outside analysts to help clarify issues and circumstances and identify possible alternative courses. (MLW)

Describes an interpersonal communication class in which students (1) become familiar with their personal conflict management style and (2) learn and practice a technique for managing conflict with a win-win approach. Details the six stages of the Managing Interpersonal Conflict (MIC) technique. (PD)

The key to successful family-school linkages is the RFV Quotient: risk, flak, and vulnerability. Educators need to be willing to open up communications and to deal with the conflicts that this will bring. (SJL)

This study examines the effectiveness exercises based on the cognitive conflict, existing within the child, between two representational systems related to temperature: the qualitative-verbal one and the quantitative-numerical one as these relate to the advancement of children's understanding of the concept of temperature. (Author/DS)

Distressed couples were more critical of each other and less responsive to each other's influence efforts. Distressed and nondistressed couples were similar in their frequencies of inquiries and solution proposals. Criticism and responsiveness were important predictors of both satisfaction with outcomes and attainment of resolutions. (Author)

At a time when universities are finding increasing difficulty in making ends meet, legal costs are seen as becoming a major problem. The Center for Mediation in Higher Education, an organization which espouses the use of third party neutrals to help adversaries negotiate, is described. (MLW)

A ten-step model for the assessment of a medical school learning environment was developed and implemented as a basis for the management and reduction of student stress. (Author)

Offers ten tips intended to help administrators make decisions and resolve conflicts. (Author/JM)

This approach to conflict-management training provides systematic training in coping skills. Trainees are encouraged to look at conflict from the viewpoint of management of personal reactions rather than solely from the problem-solving perspective. Suggested activities for self-examination and skills development are offered. (Author)

Efficacy in working with recollection can be increased by understanding reminiscence. Informative reminiscence involves recollection for the pleasure of reliving and retelling. Evaluative reminiscence has a more favorable resolution when it ranges over the lifetime and is shared. Obsessive reminiscence may result from guilt, stress or grief.…

Investigates the effects of self-disclosure and attitude similarity on the reduction of interpersonal conflict between interactants involved in playing a creative alternative game. Results indicate that self-disclosure accounted for 54 percent of the variance of conflict-reducing behavior, while attitude similarity accounted for 7 percent. (JMF)

The use of poetry in couples' groups is suggested to facilitate group process and break down resistance. Techniques include the use of reactions to a poem or song, the construction of poems, and the development of images. Poetry can help clients express feelings and examine communication patterns. (Author)

To determine if empirically derived dependent variables could differentiate typical conflict and accord discussions, couples engaged in conflict and accord discussions on topics rated prior to and following discussions. Discriminators were volume, criticism, disagreement and sarcasm. Variables which did not differentaite topics were swearing, rate…