In this stage, the conflict has either been resolved or suppressed. The aftermath establishes new conditions that either lead to more effective cooperation or to a new conflict that may be more severe than the first. A friendship might end, someone gets fired, a divorce, or one political candidate wins an election.

In some cases the resolution can be positive while also ending the issue. Friends arrive at a compromise both can live with, a marriage emerges stronger than ever, or a teenager grows up and the parent-child relationship grows strong again.