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Dudley D. Cahn and Ruth Anna Abigail. Managing Conflict through Communication, 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2014. ISBN 13: 978-0-205-86213-9 (Hbk), ISBN 10:0-205-86213-6 (Pbk). Pp. 324.
Managing Conflict through Communication (5th edition) by Dudley D. Cahn and Ruth Anna Abigail is an introductory university textbook. The text's central aim is to prepare students to deal effectively with interpersonal conflict by acquiring important communication tools. It succeeds in its main objective and introduces students to important analytical components of communication while promoting helpful ways to manage conflict.
In the introduction, the authors outline some of the key conflicts impacting contemporary society-cultural, political, age, value-based, and class-based conflicts. They contend that communication and an understanding of conflict resolution will promote increased understandings among social groups and especially among people who care about each other. In the chapters that follow, the authors offer a multitude of day-to-day conflict examples and describe how people can find new ways to communicate and resolve differences. The authors utilize conflict examples provided by students and ground their descriptions in accessible language.
Chapters 1 through 4 help students understand their own approach and feelings...