The pressure for self-consistency within may lead us to an unwitting involvement in and intensification of conflict as our actions have to be justified, both to ourselves and to others. Hostility is evident in destructive conflict. It involves a tendency toward conflict, but does not always end in it. He believes that, if not allowed to be expressed, hostility can build. The key to turning conflict away from the destructive and toward the constructive is an atmosphere of receptivity and openness.
Threat reduces that tolerance for ambiguity and the openness to new ideas.
New ideas are important for resolving conflict, and they must be free to be shared and received. The fear of conflict can lead to a rejection of the concept of personal power in spite of the fact that this is really impossible. The fact is that people do have power in their relationships, and this is a fact that can be denied, but not changed. Students of inter-personal relationships are aware that power and influence is always present in personal relationships and organizations. This fact should be accepted and the potential abuses controlled.