High Conflict
Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out
by Amanda Ripley
Recommended by Adam Grant and Jim Knight
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Reading Profile
Should I read this?
High Conflict uses scene-driven reporting and recurring examples to give you a diagnostic label for fights that have become self-perpetuating. Amanda Ripley walks through political, workplace, and family episodes and supplies plain-language signals you can use to notice escalation. The value is in helping you name a dynamic that otherwise feels inexplicable; the limit is repetition—many chapters return to the same pattern—and the book stops short of detailed, step-by-step dispute protocols, favoring explanation over procedural how-to.
Read this if...
- •an HR manager at a large company handling team polarization who needs concise language and vivid examples to brief leadership and propose simple cooling-off practices
- •a local mediator dealing with a long-running neighborhood dispute who wants concrete stories to illustrate why escalation repeats and to persuade parties to pause
- •a family member stuck in a decades-long feud deciding whether to re-engage or step back who needs a way to recognize self-perpetuating patterns before acting
Skip this if...
- •you'll likely put it down when the same anecdotal pattern repeats across chapters and the tone hardens; impatience with repetition will cost you here
- •annoying if you prefer dense, citation-rich argumentation or expect formal dispute-resolution protocols—this book prioritizes storytelling and diagnosis over systematic procedures
- •frustrating if you wanted ready-made scripts, templates, or exercises to apply immediately—offers suggested language and examples rather than step-by-step tools
When we are baffled by the insanity of the “other side”—in our politics, at work, or at home—it’s because we aren’t seeing how the conflict itself has taken over.That’s what “high conflict” does. It’s the invisible hand of our time. And it’s different from the useful friction of healthy conflict. That’s good conflict, and it’s a necessary force tha...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:hard
Audience Fit
- an HR manager at a large company handling team polarization who needs concise language and vivid examples to brief leadership and propose simple cooling-off practices
- a local mediator dealing with a long-running neighborhood dispute who wants concrete stories to illustrate why escalation repeats and to persuade parties to pause
- a family member stuck in a decades-long feud deciding whether to re-engage or step back who needs a way to recognize self-perpetuating patterns before acting
- you'll likely put it down when the same anecdotal pattern repeats across chapters and the tone hardens; impatience with repetition will cost you here
- annoying if you prefer dense, citation-rich argumentation or expect formal dispute-resolution protocols—this book prioritizes storytelling and diagnosis over systematic procedures
- frustrating if you wanted ready-made scripts, templates, or exercises to apply immediately—offers suggested language and examples rather than step-by-step tools
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
View available editions on AmazonKey themes
Why recommended
Recommended by 2 sources and appears in Conflict Resolution.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Adam Grant
Organizational psychologist; Wharton professor
“@JessMattei Two books I really learned a lot from are Conversations Worth Having, by Stavros & Torres, and and High Conflict, by Amanda Ripley. | A few years ago, I read an article that fundamentally changed the way I think, write, and talk about contentious issues. The star journalist who wrote it has delivered a book that’s even more illuminating. Amanda takes us around the world to understand how people learn to stop demonizing the other side and start agreeing to disagree productively. I think it should be required reading for everyone in politics and the media—and for anyone who’s had a squabble with a colleague or a blowup at a family gathering”
View sources (2) ▾80%
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher. Recommended by 16 sources.
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Jayson GaddisHow recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.