Variables in the Study of Conflict  

	Power	Climate
	Goals	Cultural Assumptions
	Gender	Strategies and Tactics
	Perception	Style

Cultural Assumptions  

Culture shapes and frames each individual's interpretation of appropriate behaviors during conflicts. The fact that cultures have different rules for conflict was illustrated by a Vietnamese MBA student in a negotiation class. He commented that Americans have difficulty doing business in Vietnam because they do not understand that when a contract is signed it is only the beginning of the negotiation for the Vietnamese, but the Americans think the negotiations are over.  

Conflict across cultures, whether across nations or across the diverse cultures within a country, exacerbates the routine difficulties of conflict management.  

An in-depth discussion of culture is beyond the scope of this project. However, one comment seems required. This site is developed based on research and theory derived from and intended for the study of mainstream North-American culture. A comparative research base slowly is developing to describe conflict management behaviors among and across a variety of American and other cultures. Conflict scholars and facilitators look forward to the progress of that research.  

Sources for the power variable discussion include Fry and Bjorkqvist, 1997; Wilmot and Hocker, 1998.