The identification of conflict and development of common ground, important steps in the interdisciplinary research process, become challenging when applied to solving complex real-world problems that involve opposing interest groups, especially those whose members do not possess academic or interdisciplinary training. This article examines psycho-social mechanisms that can complicate the interdisciplinary process in solving such problems, using attempts to solve the problem of anthropogenic climate change to exemplify the situation. Understanding the mechanisms of conflict as well as strategies of conflict resolution can improve the interdisciplinary research process in its application to complex real-world problems.