Book excerpt: Cooney (sociology and law, U. of Georgia) looks at the role of people such as relatives, friends, neighbors, workmates, strangers, and legal officials in encouraging or discouraging others to resolve conflict without violence. He argues that the behavior of the third party depends on how close they are to the principals and whether they are above, below, or level with them in social status. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR