Everyone knows what conflict is. This concept has many synonyms: quarrel, dispute, scandal, etc. It is quite natural for people to conflict, which is why conflicts come in various forms. Depending on the number of participants and the issues that are discussed during a quarrel, they are social, intrapersonal, interpersonal, political, etc.
Many people have experienced intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts. Only at the level of groups or the whole state can one enter into a social or political conflict.
A feature of conflicts is that they can be observed from the outside, you can enter them when they are already flaring up, and also go out when they do not stop. Conflict can arise between two people and between entire states that number millions of people.
At all times people have had conflicts. What kind of "beast" is this? This will be discussed in the article, which will also consider the topic of how to resolve conflicts, which is also necessary for every person to be able to do.
What is conflict?
The most important question is: what is conflict? All people know what it is, because they could be in it more than once. Conflict has many concepts:
- Conflict is a method of resolving differences in goals, worldview, ideas that arise during interaction with society.
- A conflict is an emotional dispute where the participants express negative feelings towards each other, going beyond the norm.
- A conflict is a struggle between its participants.
In rare cases, a quarrel begins on impartial grounds. Usually conflict is an emotional state when a person begins to experience negative emotions, which push him to raise his voice and express rude words to other people. Thus, conflict is a mental state of a negative and subjective nature.
What is a dispute, quarrel, conflict between people? This is a war of opinions. A man and a woman do not quarrel, but each one tries to prove his case. Friends do not conflict, but each try to defend their opinion. People do not argue, but provide evidence and arguments for their points of view.
Everyone has their own opinion on a particular issue. This is fine. There is some exact knowledge that does not require its proof. So, for example, everyone agrees to unconditionally perceive knowledge in mathematics, physics or anatomy. No one argues or refutes this knowledge, unless there is good evidence. And there is an opinion, a view, which is often confirmed by what a person has gone through. This is due to the fact that events can occur for various reasons.
Each of the participants in the dispute is right. Surprisingly, two opposite opinions are correct, although the disputants themselves do not think so. When you are in conflict with someone, you consider your behavior and look to be the only correct ones. So does the opponent. The most amazing thing is that you are both right.
The same situation can be formed for different reasons. Everyone has their own experience of experiencing certain situations. People are different, as well as their attitude to what is happening. That is why everyone has a personal opinion on the same event. And all these opinions will be correct.
Conflict is a war of opinions. It's just that each of the opponents wants to prove his case. And the important thing to remember in the moment of an argument with another person is that you and your opponent are right, despite the fact that your opinions do not coincide. You're right! Your opponent is right! If you remember this, then the war will stop. No, you won't change your point of view. You will simply have a chance not to fight for whose opinion is more correct, but to start a conversation in order to find a solution to the problem that takes into account the interests of both parties.
As long as there is a war going on, the problem will not be solved. Once you admit that both are right, then there is a chance to start a conversation that is aimed at finding a solution to your common problem.
Conflict functions
A person usually sees only the negative side of conflicts. However, personality is naturally given a tendency to conflict. This is dictated by the functions to which conflict situations lead. The negative side becomes apparent only when people do not reach the goal, because of which, in principle, the dispute flared up.
The functions of the conflict can be called:
- The pursuit of excellence. Only through the struggle of the old and the new, where the new wins, can something better be achieved.
- Striving for survival. There are a limited number of material resources. A person who is struggling is trying to get as many resources as possible for himself in order to survive.
- Striving for progress. Only through a conflict of interest, where some want to keep and others change, is progress possible when something new is created.
- The pursuit of truth and stabilization. A person is not yet completely moral and highly spiritual. That is why there is so much debate about what is moral and immoral. Such discussions are capable of finding truth.
Not every conflict brings positive results. There are numerous cases where the outcome was negative. The positive result of any conflict is finding a solution to the problem, which is implemented and helps the participants become better, stronger, more perfect. The negative result of the conflict is observed when the participants cannot find a common solution, their actions lead to destruction, decline, degradation.
An unsuccessful conflict can be called any dispute when people tried to agree on something, but did not agree. There are many reasons why people just quarrel, and as a result of this action they get emptiness.
Is conflict beneficial in and of itself? For the conflict to be useful, you need to set a goal when entering into a dispute - what do you want to achieve as a result of the conflict? After that, act only within the framework of this goal. Since people rarely set themselves a goal they want to reach, they simply express their emotions, indignation, wasting their time and energy.
Often people just want to show their dissatisfaction. But what after that? What do you want from the other person to receive or hear? It’s not enough just to dissatisfy and criticize, you also need to argue your dissatisfaction and say what you want to get from a person.
People quite often do not agree, but force them to accept their point of view. It seems to each of the opponents that his opinion is the only correct one. But everyone involved in the process thinks so. And while people are trying to force opponents to go over to their side, it will be like a tug of war, where everyone will remain a winner and a loser. People will quarrel, and it will not end with anything more.
The cause of unsuccessful conflict is sometimes the habit of conflict. A person is used to communicating with others in a raised voice, which they perceive as an attack. A person speaks loudly with other people, they perceive it as an attack against them, which causes an unreasonable conflict. And all because a person simply does not understand that you can express your thoughts and desires in a calm tone.
People often conflict with each other. But what is the use of conflict? It does not exist, because sometimes people simply conflict, discussing a certain problem, without any clear goal of solving it.
Main types of conflicts
The classification of conflicts can be very diverse. This includes the number of participants, and the topic of the conversation, and the consequences that occur, and ways of conducting the conflict, etc. The main types of conflicts are intrapersonal, interpersonal and group (by the number of conflicting):
- Intrapersonal conflicts are the struggle of several opinions, desires, ideas within a person. Here comes the question of choice. A person must sometimes choose between equally attractive or unattractive positions, which he cannot do. This conflict can still arise when a person cannot find a solution, how to please himself and other people (their requirements). Another factor is getting used to one role, when a person cannot switch to another.
- Interpersonal conflicts are mutually directed disputes and reproaches of people against each other, where everyone wants to defend their needs and desires. They have their own classification:
— By spheres: household, family, property, business.
- By consequences and actions: constructive (when opponents achieve goals, find a common solution) and destructive (the desire of opponents to defeat each other, take a leading position).
- According to the criteria of reality: genuine, false, hidden, random.
- Group conflicts are confrontations between separate communities. Each of them considers itself exclusively from the positive side, and opponents - from the negative side.
Genuine conflict is a quarrel that really exists and the participants adequately perceive it. False conflict occurs when there is no reason to argue. There is no contradiction.
Displaced conflict occurs when people quarrel for a reason other than the actual conflict between them. So, they may quarrel over what furniture to buy, although in fact they do not like the lack of a lot of money.
A misattributed conflict develops when a person argues over what the opponent did, although he himself asked him to do it, but forgot.
Types of intrapersonal conflicts
Sometimes a person does not need a partner for conflict to arise. Often people themselves begin to conflict within themselves. This is the surest way to become unhappy - not being able to choose, not knowing what to do, doubting and hesitating. Types of intrapersonal conflicts are as follows:
- Role - this is a conflict of roles that a person can and should play. Sometimes a person is required to behave that he cannot or does not want to play, but is forced to. Sometimes a person has more opportunities, but is forced to limit himself, because this does not fit into social norms of behavior. Sometimes there is difficulty with switching roles, for example, from work to family.
- Motivational - often we are talking about the opposition of instinctive desires and moral needs. Tension is reduced when a person finds a solution to satisfy both parties.
- Cognitive is a collision of two knowledge, ideas, ideas. A person is often faced with the inconsistency of the desired and the actual, the real. When a person does not get what he wants, based on the ideas that he is guided by, then it becomes necessary to study other knowledge that contradicts the existing ones. It is sometimes difficult for a person to accept what contradicts his views.
The surest way to become an unhappy person is to have internal conflicts, that is, to conflict with oneself in views, opinions, desires. Often such a person who is not able to make decisions is influenced by public opinion, which is ready to tell him what to do in this or that situation. However, this will not solve his problem, but will only allow him to temporarily reduce the level of tension within himself.
Types of interpersonal conflicts
The most common conflict is interpersonal. A person interacts with individual members of society, where one can inevitably encounter conflicting beliefs, desires, needs, interests. This type of conflict flares up very often, which makes people avoid it even more. However, this is not possible. Between people, as between integral individual systems, disputes will always arise, since everyone has their own opinions, needs, aspirations, etc.
Quarrels and scandals in the family are normal in society. Of course, spouses may be unhappy with the current state of affairs. However, if this dissatisfaction comes to shouting and even physical assault, this only indicates that the partners do not have constructive communication. They are focused on achieving only their desires, which they defend, and not on finding a compromise that will take into account the interests of both parties.
No one is obviously worried about the fact that there are quarrels and scandals in the family. However, all these conflict situations do not go unnoticed. They leave a wound in the soul of each of the partners, give rise to doubts, insecurity in feelings and union. No need to saw, itch, grumble. When this happens, the spouse is not sawing his opponent, but his own relationship. It is necessary to learn to be more calm and sometimes even positive about what events happen.
One of the reasons that breeds discontent is ingratitude. Spouses focus on what they do not like, rather than on the positive sides of each other and what they had. They want to achieve the relationship that is presented to them in their heads. And each of them represents something different. It is the clash of these ideas that leads to quarrels. They are not grateful for the union that they have built in reality, because they want to live in the relationship that they imagine.
Keep in mind that if you consider your spouse to be bad, then soon you may not have any spouse at all. If you love your wife (husband) and strive to create a strong family, then only you owe, and your wife (husband) owes nothing. Learn to demand from yourself, not from your partner. Quarrels and scandals are usually based on this: you want some changes and actions on the part of your loved one, but you yourself are not going to do or change anything. Learn not to demand anything from your partner, let him decide what he should do for your relationship. Demand only from yourself. Otherwise, you will not cut your spouse (wife), but your relationship with him.
Types of interpersonal conflicts:
- Value, interests, normative - what is affected in a quarrel?
- Acute, lingering, sluggish - how quickly does a quarrel develop? Acute events take place here and now in direct confrontation. Lingering ones last several days, months, years and affect significant values and topics. Sluggish are low-intensity, occur periodically.
Types of conflicts in the organization
Conflicts that arise in an organization can be perceived both positively and negatively. Much depends on the level at which they occur and how they are resolved. If conflicts arise between colleagues who are trying to harm each other, then the clash can lead to a decrease in the efficiency and productivity of people. If the conflict occurs in the process of solving a labor issue, then it can become productive due to the expression of different points of view and the possibility of finding a solution. Types of conflicts in the organization:
- Horizontal, vertical and mixed. Horizontal conflicts arise between colleagues of equal status. Vertical conflicts, for example, occur between subordinates and superiors.
- Business and personal. Business concerns only work issues. Personal affect people's personalities and their lives.
- Symmetrical and asymmetrical. In symmetrical conflicts, the parties equally lose and gain. In asymmetric conflicts, one of the parties loses, loses more than the other.
- Hidden and open. Hidden conflicts arise between two people who may not express their dislike for a long time. Open conflicts are often manifested and even managed by management.
- Destructive and constructive. Destructive conflicts develop when the result, development, progress of work is not achieved. Constructive conflicts lead to progress, development, advancement towards the goal.
- Intrapersonal, interpersonal, between an employee and a group, intergroup.
- Violent and non-violent.
- Internal and external.
- Intentional and spontaneous.
- Long term and short term.
- Recurring and one-time
- Subjective and objective, false.
The essence of social conflicts
Why do people conflict? People have already found the answer to this question, but they continue to clash, because the problem often lies not in “why?”, but in “what contributes?”. The essence of social conflicts lies in the fact that each person has his own established system of views, opinions, ideas, interests, needs, etc. .
A quarrel is not a clash of two opinions, but the desire of opponents to win in their views.
Quarrels, scandals, disputes, wars, conflicts - we are talking about a confrontation between two or more parties, where each tries to defend its opinion, prove its case, gain power, force rivals to submit, etc. Peace-loving readers may have a question: is it possible Is it possible to live at all without such clashes? Psychologists note that everything is possible, but not in the situation that is developing in society.
First, you should decide on the mechanism by which any conflict situations occur. There is a topic, a question, people can get some useful resource. If people have different goals, opinions and plans, then they begin to conflict with the intention to prove their superiority and get a useful resource for themselves or make others live at their behest. A conflict is a confrontation of different opinions, where everyone is trying to achieve something beneficial for themselves.
Quarrels can not exist among people only in one case: when everyone starts to think the same way, when collective thinking reigns.
The modern world is the era of individualization. Selfishness, “life for your own good”, freedom are actively promoted. Each person is individual, and he must cultivate it in himself. It is an individual person who can think differently than everyone else. Here there is no collectivism, compromises, humility.
Quarrels occur because each person thinks of himself. In a scandal, each side seeks to prove that it is the best, correct, and smartest. In the era of individuality, no relationship can do without quarrels and scandals.
Things are quite different when people think the same way. They have nothing to defend. There is no "mine", there is only "ours". Here everyone is equal, the same. In such a society, there simply cannot be confrontation. Collectivism leads to the creation of one large organism, which is stronger than any individual. However, here a person must give up individuality, selfishness, his own Self and desires.
Let's take a family as an example. If partners act together, make concessions, think alike, strive for the same goal, then quarrels rarely occur in their relationship. They live for a common family. If the partners take care of themselves, insist on being right, strive for different goals, then conflicts become an obligatory attribute. Each partner will try to "bend under himself", adjust. Here everyone will want to win back power and force the other to live for the sake of personal desires.
The conflict begins when external circumstances indicate the impossibility of realizing a certain human need. To take part in the conflict can:
- Witnesses are those who observe the quarrel.
- Instigators - those who push, inflame even more quarrel.
- Accomplices - those who inflame the quarrel through advice, tools, recommendations.
- Mediators are those who try to resolve, pacify the conflict.
- Participants in a conflict are those who are directly arguing.
Types of political conflicts
Various types of political conflicts have existed at all times. People fought wars, conquered foreign lands, robbed and killed other nations. All this is part of the conflict, which, on the one hand, is aimed at the development and strengthening of one state, on the other hand, at the infringement of the freedom and rights of another country.
Conflicts between countries arise at the level that one state in one way or another begins to infringe on the existence and activities of another. When mutual understanding is not achieved, then political wars begin.
Types of political conflicts:
- Interstate, domestic political, foreign policy.
- The struggle of totalitarian regimes, democratic systems.
- Status-role struggle, confrontation of values and identification, clash of interests.
At times, states may quarrel over the various government arrangements they maintain, as well as the goals and directions of their activities.
Conflict Management
Conflicts have always existed and will continue to arise. There are no two equally thinking people, groups, states that would not encounter opposing opinions or needs. That is why conflict management becomes important if the participants are willing to get out of the current situations with the least loss for themselves.
The resolution of the conflict is understood as the fact that all parties came to a common conclusion, decision or opinion, after which they calmly left the situation. Often this is either agreeing on some opinion, reaching a compromise, or understanding that it is necessary to disperse and not cooperate further. These methods can be called positive methods of conflict resolution. The negative way to resolve the dispute is the destruction, degradation, destruction of one or all parties to the conflict.
The site of the psychological help site insists that people learn to resolve conflict situations, do not delay their elimination and do not develop them. This can be done in the following ways:
- Negotiation.
- Avoiding confrontation.
- Finding a compromise.
- Smoothing questions.
- Solution.
Answer the question: do you want to quarrel or solve a problem? This gives an understanding that a person begins to behave differently when he wants to quarrel or when he wants to solve a problem.
When you seek to quarrel, you are trying to find flaws in your interlocutor in order to criticize them and make them guilty. You start doing only those things that will offend your interlocutor. You scream with pleasure because your emotions are raging.
When you want to solve a problem, you deliberately act calm. You don't scream, even if you're being shouted at. You are ready to listen to the interlocutor, to be silent in order to think over his words. You are nervous, but you understand that emotions will not help you now. You should try to think as clearly as possible, realizing what you want, and hearing the opinion of your opponent.
Watch yourself or your partner - and notice what the person is striving for. The one who quarrels only "muddles the waters": there is no conversation, there is only a verbal contest - who will win? The one who tries to solve the problem behaves calmly in a stressful situation, because he wants to think about the issue and solve it. In which case will the dispute be resolved faster? Only when both you and your opponent will strive to solve the problem, and not to verbal victory, any issues will be resolved quickly and without serious losses.
How to quickly end a quarrel? There are many options for how to do this. But often the question is not how to do it, but whether at least one of the disputing parties wants to end a useless conversation.
The fact that a quarrel is a useless dialogue has to be said. People often forget that when they are under the influence of negative emotions and indignation, they do not seek to solve the problem, but want to prove their opinion, deed, point of view is right. It seems to them that they did everything right, so they enter into a loud conversation, trying to prove it. Their opponents prove that they were right in their actions and decisions, and everyone else was wrong. Thus, a quarrel is a conversation where everyone considers himself right, tries to achieve only this goal and does not seek to hear the other person.
People don't always want to end a fight. Until they achieve their goal, that is, the recognition of their innocence, they will not retreat. Therefore, you first need to want to get away from the quarrel, and then take the appropriate steps.
How to quickly end a quarrel?
- You can go to another place where your opponent will not be.
- You can say: "Do as you like" or "Do as you like." Thus, you do not agree with the correctness of your interlocutor, but do not reject the fact that he is right.
Other methods are less effective, because the opponent may not want to end the argument with you. Your task is to be at a remote distance from your interlocutor, so that neither you see him, nor he sees you.
Outcome
Conflict is inherent in all people. Everyone knows how to quarrel with others. However, managing and resolving conflicts is an art that not everyone has been taught. If a person knows how to calm conflicts, then he knows how to manage people, which requires a lot of knowledge and effort. The result is the ability to organize one's own life, to make it happier and more orderly.
People have already ruined a lot of relationships because they did not want to stop the quarrel. Often people died because of conflicts that flared up between groups and even entire states. The forecast becomes unpredictable when people start to conflict. However, the result depends entirely on what decisions they will make and actions they will take.
You can lead the dialogue in a constructive direction, if there is a desire to solve the problem, and not to prove your case. You can lead the argument in a destructive direction, when there is no desire to cooperate and find a compromise. Often people refuse to take responsibility for the results achieved as a result of the conflict. Although in fact they achieved everything on their own.
depending on the parties conflicts are:
1) Intrapersonal conflicts - conflicts between elements of the personality structure. are expressed in acute negative experiences of the personality, generated by its conflicting aspirations. By their nature and content, they are largely psychological, although they also have a social connotation. They are caused by contradictions in the motives, interests, values and self-assessments of the individual and are accompanied by emotional stress and negative feelings of the current situation. It can be both destructive and constructive, that is, it can have both positive and negative consequences for the individual. The reasons for intra-personal conflict may be the contradiction of needs, the contradiction between the internal need and the social norm, the contradiction between the various roles of the individual, the difficulty of choosing between different behaviors;
2) interpersonal conflicts - a clash between individuals in the process of their social and psychological interaction. Of great importance in an interpersonal conflict are the personal qualities of people, their mental, socio-psychological and moral characteristics, their interpersonal compatibility or incompatibility. The causes of these conflicts can be very diverse;
3) conflicts between the individual and the group are more multifaceted conflicts, which, in addition to intra-personal and interpersonal causes, include causes due to the group organization. They arise when one of the individuals takes a position that differs from the positions of the group. They can be constructive (helps to strengthen the connection of the individual with the group, the formation of personal and group identification and integration) and destructive (personal disidentification and group disintegration);
4) intergroup conflicts - the most frequent type of conflict, which is expressed in a clash of interests of various groups. The causes of intergroup conflicts can be: economic, political, national-ethnic, etc. Depending on the level of social groups, the conflict has its own characteristics of occurrence and ways to resolve them. At the level of small social groups, the social identification of groups, which causes social differentiation between groups, plays an important role in the emergence of intergroup conflict. Large social groups are characterized by a large scale and depth of conflicts;
5) international - arise between individual states or groups of states. The basis of these conflicts are contradictions between the interests of countries.
By areas of life people are singled out:
1) household;
2) labor;
3) family;
4) military;
5) educational and pedagogical, etc.
By the nature of objects about which there are conflicts:
1) status - role;
2) resource;
3) sociocultural;
4) ideological, etc.
By direction of influence and distribution of powers allocate:
1) conflicts "vertically" (boss - subordinate);
2) conflicts "horizontally" (between colleagues).
According to time parameters conflicts are divided into:
1) short-term;
2) fleeting;
3) long.
By performance conflicts are divided into:
1) constructive - conflicts that have positive consequences (strengthening cooperation in the group, achieving some result);
2) destructive - conflicts that have negative consequences (the breakup of a group, uncivilized forms of relationships between people).
By the nature of the reasons:
1) realistic conflicts - conflicts that serve as a means to achieve some result that is outside the conflict;
2) unrealistic - the object is inseparable from the conflict itself and coincides with it.
Conflictology today is preparing to be separated into a separate science. In this case, it is necessary to clearly define what it is, what types and types are, in other words, to designate the object of study of this science.
Going deeper, you need to understand the causes and differences of various disputes, on what basis they arise and in what ways they can be resolved. After all, everyone knows that there are no unsolvable situations, you just need to know what we are facing.
First, let's look at the very concept of conflict. Types of conflicts in society after that will become more understandable and obvious to us.
So, a conflict is often a discrepancy between the interests of two or more people whose interests do not coincide with respect to a particular case, event, goal, and so on. This is a situation where there is a difference of opinion that cannot be satisfied at the same time. As you know, such disagreements can have both positive and negative consequences that affect our lives and decisions.
Causes and types of disagreements
The causes and types of conflicts are closely interrelated. The former mainly influences how the situation will be resolved. It is the identification of the cause of the conflict that will help not only resolve it, but also prevent it in the future. It is clear that without knowing the true essence, we will not be able to fight this effectively, and, based only on theory, this cannot be done either. You will definitely need special knowledge of the psychology of the interlocutors, if we talk about interpersonal disputes.
Practice shows that it is not worth interfering in someone's dispute, since an attempt to resolve someone else's conflict can only aggravate it. Nevertheless, sometimes it can help resolve it: a fresh opinion and a look at the situation can lead conflicting interlocutors to a single solution, which will end the disagreement.
First of all, consider those types of social conflicts that are very familiar to us. We all live in society. Every day we communicate with dozens of people, and some people tend to spend their day exclusively among people. And for society, disagreement is a natural phenomenon, without which not one of our days can do.
There are two types of personality conflicts:
- Intrapersonal.
- Interpersonal.
- Personality and group.
- Group.
intrapersonal conflict
This type of conflict can be described as one's own, personal confrontation. In this case, only one person takes part in it - you. We are talking about our feelings, needs, certain goals and motives, which do not always work smoothly and together. After all, you see, often we have a desire that is not feasible for a number of reasons, and the point is not even in the availability of opportunities, but in certain of our thoughts and feelings.
Here a conflict arises with oneself, which pushes us to rash acts, or, conversely, to renunciation of action, which we may later regret. This is the inconsistency of the mind and heart, physical needs and moral principles, and so on.
Quite often, such a conflict can arise in connection with the work of a person. When his position or role in the organization makes too high demands that cannot be met for "own" reasons.
We can consider an example: the opposition of the role of "family man" and "good worker". It is present, and is characteristic of many of us. When you want to spend more time with your family, pay due attention to your relatives, work makes you stay up late, makes you stay late, which gives rise to an intrapersonal conflict.
interpersonal conflict
Different types of conflicts flow into our lives in different ways every day. But this view, one might say, is the most relevant and "popular" today.
An interpersonal dispute is a quarrel that occurs between two people for any reason, be it moral or material. If we talk about the sphere of work, then these are often disputes between managers and subordinates, colleagues or candidates for the same position, competition is also a kind of conflict.
The described situations can also be characterized as types of conflicts in the organization, since any organization has its own staff, which in essence are completely different people - individuals. Therefore, it is not surprising that disagreements and disputes arise quite often. It is common to argue that it is the differences in people that are the ground for the emergence of confrontations.
Conflict between the individual and the group
These types of conflicts are less common, but still present in our lives. In this case, the worldview or, more simply, the position of one person is contrary to the opinion of the rest of the group of people, for example, among employees of one team, or family members.
On the other hand, such a dispute may arise on the basis of non-compliance with established rules. As we know, each established team has its own rules and moral foundations that develop over time. When a new person comes, he is implicitly obliged to obey the general rules, and any deviant behavior is regarded as an attempt to discord the team (of course, on a subconscious level), because of this, disagreement arises between people.
group conflict
If we call the types of conflicts in the organization and personal, then this type of disagreement can also be called general, which can occur everywhere.
This is a confrontation between groups, both formal and informal, which are present both in every company and in the whole society in general.
In this situation, different branches of the organization can resist, for example, management and subordinates, informal associations within the team (everyone knows the situation when the team, during the discussion of a particular problem, is divided into several groups united by one opinion).
Other types of social divisions
The above are the main types of conflicts. These are the most common situations in life, the way out of which, whether we like it or not, we often find on our own and on the basis of this we build our personal experience and gain knowledge.
Types of social conflicts also imply a different classification, according to the spheres of human life, according to which contradictions are divided into the following groups:
- Political.
- Socio-economic.
- National-ethnic.
- Interstate.
political conflict
Such a conflict can arise at moments of power sharing, achieving the desired heights in this area, the struggle for influence and authority. Just the same, these disagreements almost always arise, and we are all watching them.
The bottom line is that politicians are purposeful people who clearly formulate their goals and aspirations. And there is always competition and widespread struggle. It can take place both between certain branches of government, certain groups (which is the group conflict that we considered above), within the parliament itself, and so on.
Socio-economic conflict
These types of conflicts are connected, first of all, with the material well-being of every citizen of the country, and, in fact, of any person in the world.
They primarily concern employed people who are very concerned about the level of their wages, any payments, pension and social. In this case, the conflict is often caused by a discrepancy between wages and the forces invested in it, intellectual capabilities, personal qualities and ambitions, and so on.
National-ethnic conflict
Such disagreements arise on the basis of protecting the interests of races and nations. Here appears the concept of racism, which, unfortunately, will never be eradicated. There are and will be people in the world who despise other nations because of the difference in religions, skin colors, traditions and customs. This is very wrong, but nothing can be done about it. Fortunately, most people are absolutely peaceful and treat everyone equally.
It is also worth noting that these conflicts are conditionally divided into two subspecies - horizontal and vertical. Horizontal ones arise between ethnic groups, and vertical ones are disagreements between the state and a group, for example, Chechen.
Interstate conflicts
A separate group is to highlight the conflicts between states. The reasons for them can be all of the above conflicts, and other factors that together lead to a conflict of interests of two or more countries.
It's a shame, but such disputes, which often arise between the dominant branches of states, lead to the responsibility of all citizens. The consequences of such disagreements are wars, crises and defaults, limited cooperation between countries, and much more.
In this situation, the regulation of all such disagreements is handled by the UN, which is international and has the authority to do so. This organization is called upon not only to resolve conflict situations, but also to prevent them.
Now let's move on to the conflict resolution process. Based on the information provided above, we have gained knowledge of their possible types, and now it will be easier to work on one particular one. After all, the ability to distinguish between types and types of conflicts will greatly help us in this matter.
Basically, the classification of types of disagreement resolution is based on the behavioral strategies that a person uses for this purpose. You can follow different paths, but, accordingly, the result will be different.
Types of behavior in conflict
Behavior can also be different in the process of maturing, staying and resolving conflicts.
In a dispute, it is worth highlighting several behavioral strategies that entail different consequences.
What needs to be done to resolve the conflict
We will now present an indicative step-by-step outline for resolving interpersonal disagreements. It is important to remember that such situations are not resolved by shouting or assault. It is necessary to treat the person with understanding, because he may not even know that the conflict was brewing, and did everything not from evil.
You can describe specific actions through a banal situation: talking too loudly on the phone of your colleague in the office.
- Determine that the problem still exists for you, and it can provoke disputes (noise distracts from work).
- Consider what you will say. Remember that you need to speak absolutely calmly and measuredly, showing frustration rather than anger or hatred towards another person. The irritated tone has never led to a peaceful resolution of conflicts without consequences.
- Let the other person know that there is a problem that needs immediate resolution. Base on three sides of the expression: behavior (when the phone rings and the conversation starts...), consequences (...you can't get yourself together and work efficiently...) and feelings (...which takes more energy and energy and ruins the mood).
- Do not let the person change the subject of the conversation, as he may begin to evade and not recognize the existence of a conflict, explaining in our situation that "everyone does it."
- Next, it is worth offering a way out of the situation, pointing out that this is unpleasant for any person. Say, for example, that a person can leave the room on personal matters. Take this as a rule in your team, agree together.
So, according to this situation, we can conclude that any conflict can be resolved through negotiations and reaching a compromise, a common denominator, which brings the dispute to "no". In this way, any type of conflict can be resolved.
When studying the modern literature on conflicts, we were able to identify 112 definitions and significant differences in their wording.
Here are just the most typical:- Conflict- this is a manifestation of objective or subjective contradictions, expressed in the confrontation of the parties.
- Conflict- this is the most acute way to resolve significant contradictions that arise in the process of interaction, which consists in countering the subjects of the conflict and is usually accompanied by negative emotions.
According to F. Glazl, many Anglo-American authors emphasize in their definitions conflicting goals or interests, which pursue the parties, but do not give a clear definition of the concept of "conflict".
From all the definitions of the definition of "conflict" a number of questions arise. What contradictions are significant and what is a contradiction in general and how do they differ from conflicts?
Virtually no one, with the exception of Yu.V. Rozhdestvensky, does not define contradiction as a speech action. He identifies three stages in the development of the struggle of interests that lead to conflict. “The actions in this struggle can be divided, as it were, into three stages of intensity: differences of opinion, contradictions in discussions, and direct struggle in the form of conflicts in actions.” Thus, we will consider any statement of an authoritarian type from the 1st person in an approved form in any form of literature as a difference.
From our point of view, dialogue can be considered a contradiction, i.e. speech action when the differences of the parties are expressed.
Conceptual scheme characterizing essence of the conflict should cover four main characteristics: structure, dynamics, functions and conflict management.
The structure of the conflict is divided into:
- object (subject of dispute);
- subjects (individuals, groups, organizations);
- conditions for the course of the conflict;
- the scale of the conflict (interpersonal, local, regional, global);
- strategies and tactics of behavior of the parties;
- outcomes of the conflict situation (consequences, results, their awareness).
Any real conflict is a complex dynamic process that includes the following main stages:
- subject situation- the emergence of objective causes of conflict
- conflict interaction- incident or developing conflict
- conflict resolution(Full or partial).
The conflict, whatever its nature, performs a number of tasks, among which the most important are:
- dialectical- serves to identify the causes of conflict interaction;
- constructive- the tension caused by the conflict can be directed towards achieving the goal;
- destructive- there is a personal, emotional coloring of the relationship, which interferes with the solution of problems. Conflict management can be considered in two aspects: internal and external. The first of these is to manage one's own behavior in a conflict interaction. The external aspect of conflict management suggests that the subject of management can be a leader (manager, leader, etc.)
Conflict management- this is a purposeful impact on its dynamics due to objective laws in the interests of the development or destruction of the social system to which this conflict is related.
In the scientific literature, various attitude towards conflicts. Conflict, as a phenomenon, is always undesirable, which should, if possible, be avoided and resolved immediately. This attitude is clearly seen in the works of authors belonging to the school of scientific management, the administrative school. The "human relations" writers also tended to think that conflicts were to be avoided. But if conflicts were present in organizations, they considered this as a sign of inefficient performance and poor management.
The modern view is that even in well-managed organizations, some conflict is not only possible, but may even be desirable. In many cases, the conflict helps to bring out the diversity of points of view, provides additional information, helps to identify problems, and so on.
Thus, conflict can be functional and lead to an increase in the effectiveness of the organization. Or it can be dysfunctional and lead to decreased personal satisfaction, group collaboration, and organizational effectiveness. The role of conflict mainly depends on how effectively it is managed.
Types of conflicts
In modern literature, there are many classifications of conflicts on various grounds.
So A.G. Zdravomyslov gives a classification of the levels of the conflicting parties:- Interindividual conflicts
- Intergroup conflicts and their types:
- interest groups
- ethnic groups
- groups united by a common position;
- conflicts between associations
- intra and interinstitutional conflicts
- conflicts between state entities
- conflicts between cultures or types of cultures
R. Dahrendorf gives one of the broadest classifications of conflicts.
We will give this classification, indicating the types of conflicts in brackets:- According to the sources of occurrence (conflicts of interest, values, identification).
- By social consequences (successful, unsuccessful, creative or constructive, destructive or destructive).
- By scale (local, regional, interstate, global, micro-, macro-, and mega-conflicts).
- According to the forms of struggle (peaceful and non-peaceful).
- According to the peculiarities of the conditions of origin (endogenous and exogenous).
- In relation to the subjects to the conflict (genuine, random, false, latent).
- According to the tactics used by the parties (battle, game, debate).
AV Dmitrov gives several classifications of social conflicts on various grounds. The author refers to conflicts by spheres: economic, political, labor, social security, education, education, etc.
Types of conflicts in relation to a separate subject:
- internal (personal conflicts);
- external (interpersonal, between an individual and a group, intergroup).
In psychology, it is also accepted to single out: motivational, cognitive, role-playing, etc. conflicts.
K. Levin refers motivational conflicts(few people are satisfied with their work, many do not believe in themselves, experience stress, overload at work) to a greater extent, to intrapersonal conflicts. L. Berkowitz, M. Deutsch, D. Myers describe motivational conflicts as group conflicts. Cognitive conflicts are also described in the literature both from the standpoint of intrapersonal and intergroup conflicts.
Role conflicts(the problem of choosing one of several possible and desirable options): intrapersonal, interpersonal and intergroup are most often manifested in the activity sphere. But most often in the psychological literature three types of conflicts are described: at the intrapersonal level, at the interpersonal and intergroup.
F. Lutens highlights 3 types of intrapersonal conflicts: role conflict; conflict caused by frustration, conflict of goals.
Intergroup conflict are, as a rule, conflicts of interests of groups in the industrial sphere.
Intergroup conflicts are generated most often by the struggle for limited resources or spheres of influence within an organization, which consists of many formal and informal groups with completely different interests. This opposition has different bases. For example, professional production (designers-manufacturers-financiers), social (workers-employees - management) or emotional-behavioral ("lazy" - "hard workers").
But the most numerous are interpersonal conflicts. In organizations, they manifest themselves in different ways, most often in the form of a management struggle for always limited resources. 75-80% of interpersonal conflicts are generated by a clash of material interests of individual subjects, although outwardly this manifests itself as a mismatch of characters, personal views or moral values. These are communication conflicts. Similar are the conflicts between the individual and the group. For example, a leader's clash with a united front of subordinates who do not like the boss's harsh disciplinary measures aimed at "tightening the screws."
Types of conflicts by nature:
- objective, related to real problems and shortcomings;
- subjective, due to different assessments of certain events and actions.
Types of conflicts by consequences:
- constructive, involving rational transformations;
- destructive, destroying the organization.
Conflict Management
To effectively manage conflicts, a manager needs to:
- determine the type of conflict
- his reasons
- its features
- and then apply the necessary resolution method for this type of conflict.
The main task of managing intrapersonal conflict can be:
- if these are conflicts of goals, then the main efforts of managers should be aimed at achieving compatibility of personal and organizational goals.
- if this is a conflict of roles, then their type should be taken into account (conflict of personality and expectations associated with the role; a conflict can also arise when there are different requirements for roles that a person must play at the same time).
Resolution methods intrapersonal conflicts there are many: compromise, withdrawal, sublimation, idealization, repression, reorientation, correction, etc. But the whole difficulty lies in the fact that it is very difficult for a person himself to ascertain, identify and manage an intrapersonal conflict. They are very well described in the scientific literature, in practice it is very difficult to resolve them on their own.
Interpersonal conflicts cover almost all spheres of human relations.
Management of interpersonal conflicts can be considered in two aspects - internal and influence.
The internal aspect is associated with some individual qualities of the personality itself and the skills of rational behavior in conflict.
The external aspect reflects the managerial activity on the part of the leader in relation to a specific conflict.
In the process of managing interpersonal conflicts, reasons, factors, mutual likes and dislikes should be taken into account at different stages of management (prevention, regulation, resolution). There are two main ways to resolve them: administrative or pedagogical.
Too often, conflicts that arise, for example, between a boss and a subordinate, an employee or a client, either escalate into a fight or a withdrawal. Neither option is an effective way to manage conflict. Psychologists and sociologists offer several more options for the behavior of a person in conflict. The two-dimensional model of personality behavior in conflict interaction, developed by K. Thomas and R. Killman, has become widespread in conflict. This model is based on the orientation of the participants in the conflict to their own interests and the interests of the opposite side. The participants in the conflict, analyzing their interests and the interests of the opponent, choose 5 strategies of behavior (fight, withdrawal, concessions, compromise, cooperation).
To resolve and maintain positive relationships, it is better to follow these tips:
- cool down
- Analyze the situation
- Explain to the other person what the problem is
- Leave the man "exit"
Group conflicts are less common in practice, but they are always larger and more severe in their consequences. It is important for a manager to know that the causes that arise between an individual and a group of conflicts are related to:
- with role expectations
- with the inadequacy of the internal setting to the status of the individual
- in violation of group norms
In order to effectively manage the “person-group” conflict, it is necessary to analyze these parameters, as well as to identify the form of its manifestation (criticism, group sanctions, etc.)
Conflicts of the “group-group” type are characterized by their diversity and their reasons for their appearance, as well as the distinctive forms of their manifestation and course (strikes, rallies, meetings, negotiations, etc.). More detailed methods of managing conflicts of this type are presented in the works of American sociologists and psychologists (D. Geldman, H. Arnold, St. Robbins, M. Dilton).
At different stages of managing intergroup conflicts (forecasting, preventing, regulating, resolving) there is a content of managerial actions, they will differ. We can observe such a difference, for example, when resolving a conflict:
The conflict of the “personality-group” type is resolved in two ways: the conflicting person admits his mistakes and corrects them; the conflicting personality, whose interests cannot be brought into a state of congruence with the interests of the group, leaves her. A conflict of the “group-group” type is resolved either by organizing a negotiation process, or by concluding an agreement in coordinating the interests and positions of the conflicting parties.
From a practical point of view, the problem of regulation of relations is formed as a task of changing behavioral stereotypes. According to G.M. Andreev, there should be a replacement of some - destructive - by others, more constructive.
Conflicts are divided into general spanning the entire organization, and partial relating to its separate part; emerging , mature and fading; blind and rational; peaceful and non-peaceful; short-term and protracted , for a long time feverish the entire organization. An extensive and acute conflict can cause a crisis and ultimately lead to its destruction or significant change.
A person comes into conflict in a situation that is significant for him and only when he does not see the possibility of changing it, but usually tries not to complicate relations and maintain restraint.
In relation to a separate subject, conflicts are internal and external. The first ones are intra personal ; to the second - interpersonal , between the individual and the group , intergroup .
Inside personal conflicts arise in connection with such circumstances as the need to choose between mutually exclusive options for action, each of which is equally desirable; discrepancy between external requirements and internal position, ambiguous perception of the situation, goals and means of achieving them, especially if it is necessary to act actively; ambiguous perception of needs and opportunities to satisfy them; desires and responsibilities; various kinds of interests; inability to realize oneself in work, and therefore dissatisfaction with it.
In general, most often we are talking about "choice in conditions of abundance" or "choosing the least evil."
Intrapersonal conflict occurs when conflicting demands are placed on one person. For example, the section head may require that the salesperson be at the workplace at all times during work and not "work" with the buyer. Later, the manager is already expressing dissatisfaction with the fact that the seller spends too much time on customers and does not sort the goods.
Intrapersonal conflict can also arise as a result of the fact that production requirements are not consistent with personal needs or values. For example, a subordinate planned some family events on Saturday, his day off, and the boss announced on Friday evening that he had to work on Saturday due to production needs. Intrapersonal conflict manifests itself as a response to work overload or underload.
interpersonal conflicts are believed to be 75-80% generated by a clash of material interests of individual subjects, although outwardly this manifests itself as a mismatch of characters, personal views or moral values, since, reacting to a situation, a person acts in accordance with his views and character traits, and different people behave differently in the same situations. This type is perhaps the most common. For managers, such conflicts present the greatest difficulty, because all their actions, regardless of whether they are related to the conflict or not, will first of all be considered through the prism of this conflict. Most often, such a conflict is the struggle of the leader for limited resources, labor, finance. Everyone believes that if resources are limited, then he must convince the higher authorities to allocate them to him, and not to another leader.
Conflicts between the individual and the group mainly due to the discrepancy between individual and group norms of behavior. Due to the fact that production groups set standards for behavior and performance, it happens that the expectations of the group are in conflict with the expectations of individuals. In this case, a conflict occurs. In other words, a conflict arises between an individual and a group if this individual takes a position that differs from that of the group. A conflict between an individual and a group can arise when a leader makes deliberately unpopular, tough, forced decisions, as happened in the Olivetti company. The company's owner, Carl de Benedetti, "needed to lay off 20,000 people in less than a year and a half" to save the company from near-imminent bankruptcy and turn it into the world's second-largest microcomputer manufacturer. And this was carried out in a company known throughout the world for its "exceptionally humane attitude to management." "Benedetti made sure that all those laid off got another job or a good pension."
Organizations are made up of many formal and informal groups. Even in the best organizations, conflicts can arise between them, which are called intergroup . Intergroup conflicts are generated by differences in views and interests. In this case, each seeks to seize resources that correspond to his aspirations, limiting the other, which, if the conflict develops, threatens with large losses. The conflict of views leads only to a refutation of the point of view, a logical dead end.
The realization of the interests of people is always carried out through power, therefore, in intraorganizational political forces fighting for it take part in the conflict - informal groups and coalitions, the manifestation of which is a kind of indicator. H. Ulmer argues that conflicts are generated by the desire for dominance, the struggle for primacy in the hierarchy, which is inherent in all people and is one of their key properties. Clashes arise between formal and informal organization, bureaucratic constraints and creativity.
The possibility of conflict always exists where one person or group depends on the work of others, which happens primarily when the division of labor is deepened. On a psychological level, this leads to a split in the organization according to the principle “we - they”, the emergence of leaders, ideologists, ensuring the consolidation of its members, defending interests.
In terms of the organizational levels to which the parties belong, conflicts can be divided into vertical and horizontal. The first type includes, for example, a conflict between individual areas of the organization's activities; to the second - between different levels of the hierarchy. Practice shows that vertical conflicts are the majority - up to 70 - 80%.
The interweaving of intra-organizational relations in practice leads to the fact that many conflicts are mixed containing many elements.
According to the distribution of losses and gains between the parties, conflicts can be divided into symmetrical and asymmetrical. In the first case, they are divided approximately equally; in the second, some gain or lose substantially more than others. If the participants in the conflict hide it from prying eyes or the conflict is not yet “ripe”, which, of course, makes it difficult to manage or resolve it, it is hidden, latent; otherwise the conflict is open. Because the open is under direction, it is less dangerous to the organization; the hidden one can imperceptibly undermine its foundations, although outwardly it will seem that all things are going well. Hidden conflicts usually involve two people who, for the time being, try not to show that they are in conflict. But as soon as one of them loses his nerve, the hidden conflict turns into an open one.
According to the duration of the course, conflicts can be divided into short-term and protracted. Short-term are the result of misunderstanding or errors that are quickly recognized. Protracted ones are associated with deep moral psychological traumas or with objective difficulties. The duration depends on the subject of contradictions, on the character traits of the people involved. Prolonged conflicts are very dangerous, because conflicting personalities consolidate their negative state in them. The frequency of conflicts can cause deep or long-term tension in relationships.
According to the nature of the conflicts are usually divided into objective and subjective. Objective ones are associated with real-life problems, shortcomings, violations that arise in the process of functioning and development of the organization. Subjective ones are due to the discrepancy between personal assessments of certain events or relationships between people. Thus, in some cases, we can talk about the presence of a certain object in the conflict; in others - about its absence.
The opinions that take place in the views and assessments of people constitute the subject of the conflict, and then they speak of substantive conflicts; but these differences may be imaginary. For example, if people simply express their opinions in different ways, then the conflict turns out to be not only subjective, but also pointless. Objective conflicts are always subjective, but this characteristic is not always suitable for subjective ones.
Since objective conflicts are associated with real events of intraorganizational life and usually require practical transformations in its foundations, they are called business. Subjective conflicts, generated, in essence, by overflowing emotions of people, are also called emotional, personal.
Conflicts are divided according to their consequences. constructive and destructive.
Constructive ones suggest the possibility of rational transformations, as a result of which the object of the conflict itself is eliminated. With the right approach, these types of conflicts can bring great benefits to the organization. If the conflict does not have a real basis and is not created, therefore, there are no opportunities for improving internal organizational processes, it turns out to be destructive, since it first destroys the system of relations between people, and then introduces disorganization into the course of objective processes.
Concrete causes of constructive conflicts most often turn out to be unfavorable working conditions, imperfect pay; shortcomings in the organization; overload at work; discrepancy between the rights and obligations of employees; lack of resources; low level of discipline.
Destructive conflicts are usually caused by wrong actions, including abuse of office, violation of labor laws, unfair assessments of people. Thus, if in constructive conflicts the parties do not go beyond ethical norms, then destructive ones, in essence, are based on their violation, as well as on the psychological incompatibility of people.
The laws of intra-organizational conflict are such that any constructive conflict, if it is not resolved in a timely manner, turns into a destructive one. People begin to demonstrate personal antipathy to each other, find fault, humiliate partners, threaten them, impose their point of view, refuse to solve the problems that have arisen for mutual benefit.
In many ways, the transformation of a constructive conflict into a destructive one is connected with the personality traits of its participants themselves. Novosibirsk scientists F. Borodkin and N. Koryak identify six types of "conflict" personalities, which voluntarily or involuntarily provoke additional clashes with others. These include:
1) demonstrative who strive to be the center of attention, becoming the initiators of disputes in which they show excessive emotions;
2) rigid those who have inflated self-esteem, do not consider the interests of others, are uncritically related to their actions, painfully touchy, inclined to take out evil on others;
3) unmanaged characterized by impulsiveness, aggressiveness, unpredictability of behavior, poor self-control;
4) ultra-precise characterized by excessive exactingness, suspiciousness, pettiness, suspicion;
5) purposefully conflicting those who consider the collision as a means to achieve their own goals, who are inclined to manipulate others in their own interests;
6) conflict-free who, with their desire to please everyone, only create new conflicts.
At the same time, conflict personalities, once in a favorable situation, often do not manifest themselves as such.
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