Intergroup competition and conflict create pervasive problems in human society, giving rise to such phenomena as prejudice, terrorism, ethnic cleansing, and interstate war. Citizens, policy makers, social workers, schoolteachers, and politicians wrestle with these problems, and with difficult questions these issues pose:

• What causes conflict to escalate?
• How should we manage conflict within communities, and also in society at large?
• Is conflict always bad, or does it have other more beneficial consequences?

Social Conflict within and between Groups provides an overview of contemporary research from the social sciences on these questions. It brings together the research output of a number of leading researchers in psychology, management and economics, sociology and political science, and draws on the outcomes of ten prominent research programs conducted over the past five years. The chapters cover a range of fascinating topics, including prejudice and discrimination in multi-ethnic societies, and conflict and negotiation in the field of industrial relations. The authors also consider the possibilities for intervention at the interpersonal, intergroup and societal level.

This is the first volume to provide an interdisciplinary overview of the various scientific approaches to studying the origins and consequences of social conflict. It will be of great interest to researchers, graduates and upper-level undergraduate students from across the social and behavioural sciences.

About the Author
Carsten K.W. De Dreu is Professor in Psychology at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He is fellow of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was President of the European Association for Social Psychology. His research is concerned with the neural and psychological underpinnings of human cooperation and conflict, decision making, and creativity and innovation.

Reviews

'The study of social conflict crosses disciplinary boundaries, levels of analysis, and the basic-applied research divide. Indeed, considerable progress has been made by social scientists in developing a broad perspective on conflict. Much of that progress is on display in this volume. It includes a multitude of insights, many counter-intuitive, about interventions tailored to types of conflict, functions and dysfunctions of conflict and its regulation, and the idea of conflict contagion. Implications of globalization, migration and multiculturalism for conflict escalation and de-escalation are developed as well. This book is a must-read for all those interested in understanding and solving a variety of social conflicts. And, that includes practically all of us!' - Daniel Druckman, School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs, George Mason Unversity, USA and Macquarie University, Australia

'Social Conflict within and between Groups presents a unique integration of fundamental and applied research. The multidisciplinary and multilevel perspective on social conflict across different countries provides a fascinating, and much-needed review of classic and contemporary theory and research.'- Michele Birtel, School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Manchester, UK

Book Information
ISBN 9781848722965
Author Carsten K. W. De Dreu
Format Paperback
Page Count 202
Imprint Psychology Press Ltd
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 294g