Paths to the Ability to Handle Conflicts. Wherever people act, they change the world and thus intervene in the living conditions and actions of others. One cannot act without changing, without influencing, that is, without exercising "power." The only question is how wisely, beautifully, or constructively one's actions are experienced. Human relationships exist in the tension between personal expectations and demands, as well as the social considerations and constraints that life and work bring. Conflicts are symptomatic of how complicated and painful learning processes can be. The author illustrates with many examples how often it is the unpleasant events that prompt us to wake up, learn something necessary, take a new step, and change ourselves in order to ultimately become "more human." She convincingly shows that no conflict is an end in itself; it is always also a means to work on ourselves and a call to expand our understanding of humanity to see ourselves and the world anew. Relationships and their maintenance, as well as their disruptions, are at the center of every biography. They enrich life, provide strength, light, and warmth, and form the foundation for happy forms of collaboration. It is understandable that when the opposite occurs, problems and conflicts in this area can burden and paralyze the lives of those affected, even leading to illness and death. The power we have over, against, or for each other plays a central role in this. The book is the result of twenty years of work on this topic, which has been repeatedly challenged. The focus has always been on the question of what education and self-education can contribute to preventing power conflicts in relationship crises or, when they are unavoidable, at least helping to overcome them.