Variables in the Study of Conflict  

	Power	Climate
	Goals	Cultural Assumptions
	Gender	Strategies and Tactics
	Perception	Style

Perception  

Conflict management definitions frequently contain the word perception. Strategies and tactics to address conflicts are as often directed toward altering the other's perceptions of events as they are directed at substantive issues.  

Each move and communication exchange is filtered and interpreted through our perceptions, which are rather individualized constructs built from our past experiences, culture, gender, and a plethora of other variables. Because of the integral role of perception in communication, conflict management can never become a formula driven science.  

Managing perception is a key skill in conflict management.  

Read more about perception's role in conflict. 

Sources for the perception variable discussion include Lulofs, 1994; Wilmot and Hocker, 1998.