Describes a seven-week experience working with groups composed of diverse races in South Africa. Reflects on the human drama of direct and honest confrontation and proposes that major changes are precipitated from great stress or crisis. Presents evidence of the potential of person-centered communication in conflict resolution. (Author/NB)

Draws examples of creative problem solving from the negotiations by delegations from Egypt, Israel, and the United States at Camp David in 1978. Uses Bales's "Field Diagrams" to show the relationships of the participants. Uses Taylor's five levels of creativity to rate decisions. (BH)

Tested conceptual model of context, processes, and outcomes of joint marital decision making of married couples (N=188) which specified spouses' process variables as individual-level measures and partners' consensus as a couple construct. Found context factor of spouses' emotional interdependence influenced both partners' coerciveness and degree…

Elaborates a theory of tension reduction among antagonistic groups that has progressed from a theory growing out of individual psychotherapy to a well-tried model used in a workshop of international leaders focused on a specific crisis situation. (Author/NB)

With regard to proposal and report writing in particular, the Self-Monitoring Negative Checklist (SMNC) offers the potential of finished products that more completely realize the writer's objectives and serve the reader's or user's needs. Presented as a series of 31 warnings of what can go wrong in a proposal, the SMNC represents a mode of…

Offers a conceptual model based on two encompassing perspectives: (1) negotiating as a set of dilemmas that are derived from the "cooperation-fighting" polarity and (2) negotiating as a composition of four kinds of activities, each connected to a different intention. (Author)

This article explores the impact of worldview on a people's approach to dealing with conflict and compare the worldviews underlying specific Western and Indigenous approaches to dealing with conflict. It suggests that power imbalances in conflict resolution research and practice perpetuate colonization through ontological violence, marginalizing…

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)

Mediation, in which a neutral third party helps two people come up with their own solutions, is being used to settle faculty and staff grievances. Experiences at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Duke University, Emory University, and the University of Cincinnati are described. (MLW)

Various theoretical approaches for explaining both the timing and focus of educational reform efforts, are discussed. Both national-level and world-system explanations as well as some suggestions for combining the contributions of both levels of analysis are examined. Additionally with respect to both levels of analysis, explanations from…

Contains a series of short, experientially oriented articles on circle time entitled "You Can Make Circle Time Developmentally Appropriate"; "Using Circle Time as a Hub of Curriculum"; "Working It Out Together in Circle Time"; and "Starting with Stories: Building a Sense of Community." (SD)

Describes frustration theory as useful for generalists in identification and specification of goals, assessment of blocks to goal attainment, problem solving, and formation of action systems. Proposes a theoretical base for understanding client systems, and helps workers to assess their behavior in relation to their professional and personal…

The management strategy of calling attention to problems and labeling them as crises is discussed as a method of coping with prolonged periods of shrinking resources. Part I, "Entering the Realm of Crisis," discusses the importance of defining a crisis, the crisis as an organizational good, and when to declare a crisis. Two types of…

This paper addresses the use of one technique, role play, in the resolution of conflictual situations at various levels in the school system. While a variety of options for dealing with conflict are discussed, primary emphasis is given to that method which resolves the conflict and leaves the relationship intact. The method of role play and its…

Briefly explores the issue of conflict resolution (CR) in education; the introduction of CR into the public schools; and whether CR processes such as mediation meet the needs of nondominant groups. It also introduces several articles that discuss specific approaches to the development and implementation of CR programs in schools. (GLR)