Conflict and Communication: A Roadmap Through the Literature

Conflict research provides a rich and diverse presence in the discipline of Communication. For at least four decades, scholars have conducted research on communication and conflict (e.g., Jandt, 1973; Miller & Simons, 1974) and have debated key assumptions of the approaches (e.g., Hawes & Smith, 1973; Ruben, 1978). Since that time, conflict has become an important research area in the discipline. Indeed, conflict literature is often featured in handbook chapters that examine communication contexts, such as family communication (Roloff & Miller, 2006; Sillars, Canary & Tafoya, 2004; Sillars & Canary, 2012), intercultural communication (Van Meurs & Spencer-Oatey, 2010), intergroup communication (AmichaiHamburger, 2012; Ellis & Moaz, 2012), interpersonal communication (Roloff & Chiles, 2011; Roloff & Soule, 2002) and organizational communication (Putnam & Poole, 1987). Conflict research is also included in handbooks that review the research literature that informs regarding communication skills (Canary, 2003). Furthermore, conflict constitutes a distinct research area within the discipline. The Peace and Conflict Communication Division of the National Communication Association was established in 1986 and sponsors convention panels that highlight conflict research. Chapters focused on conflict appear in handbooks examining research topics that are conducted within communication science (Ellis, 2010b; Roloff, 1987; Sillars, 2010) and that cover key areas of inquiry within the entire discipline of Communication (Putnam, 2009). Moreover, there are two editions of The Handbook of Conflict Communication, each of which illustrates the wide variety of conflict research being conducted by Communication scholars (Oetzel & TingToomey, 2006, in press).