Intercultural Conflict from a Multilevel Perspective: Trends, Possibilities, and Future Directions

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to review and synthesize trends in research on intercultural conflict in four contexts: interpersonal, organizational, community, and international. The key trends in each context are identified and then an integrative approach for the contexts, the social ecological framework, is introduced. The social ecological framework relies on multilevel theorizing to integrate research across levels or contexts. The essay discusses the benefits of a multilevel approach for the study of intercultural conflict identifying future directions for enhancing research at each level.