Awareness of conflict can help us set ourselves up for success. The binary is where we create a situation where there are two choices: winners and losers, us and them, good and bad. Just having the two groups creates a situation where our brains want to be right (even more than they want to be happy). This type of grouping can escalate conflict so we will discuss ways to reduce or avoid creating a binary. 

Fire starters or conflict entrepreneurs are people who seem to have a need for increasing drama, creating all-or-nothing situations, spreading rumors, or simply enjoy creating more conflict. When we spend a lot of time with or take advice from these individuals, we may see that conflict in our lives increases. So, looking for ways to create game plans, distance, or reaction time may help us to avoid escalating conflicts.