Internal and external social conflicts. Social conflicts and ways to resolve them

Social conflict is a necessary condition for the development of society, the result of the incompatibility of the views of individuals. The conflict allows you to expose and solve various problems of society, or reduce it to anarchy.

The heterogeneity of society, differences in position and well-being inevitably lead to the emergence and aggravation of social conflicts. Let's consider the basic concepts, essence and causes of social conflicts in more detail.

What it is

Social conflict is the result of the development of social contradictions, expressed in the confrontation of various social groups.

Such opposition can arise in any social group. It can be called one of the necessary conditions for the development of society. After all, this process consists of conflicts and their overcoming.

The main source of social conflict is the very structure of society. The more complex it is, the more fragmented society is. New groups, social strata are emerging with their own value systems, goals and methods of achieving them. All this leads to the emergence of new conflicts.

At the same time, the complex structure of society also offers numerous ways to resolve these conflicts, mechanisms for finding consensus. The main task of society is to minimize the possible negative consequences of social conflict and to resolve the accumulated problems.

The life cycle of social conflict includes four stages:

Pre-conflict situation. Its sign is the growth of tension in relations between the subjects.
Conflict.
Attempts to resolve the conflict.
The end of the confrontation and the post-conflict stage.

Essence and theory

The problem of social conflicts goes back many millennia. However, before Adam Smith, the whole problem boiled down to the fact that some should rule, others obey, and the state should exercise control.

Adam Smith first pointed out the nature of conflict as a social problem. In his opinion, the social conflict is based on the class and economic struggle.

Since then, many theories have appeared to explain the essence of the contradictions:

According to the adherents of the socio-biological theory, the conflict nature of a person is explained by the aggression inherent in all animals.
Supporters of the socio-psychological theory associate the emergence of social conflicts with overpopulation and other environmental factors. However, this theory does not explain exactly at what point the apparent conflict arises.
According to functionalists, social conflict is a dysfunction in relation to society. With an ideal system, there should be no contradictions.

Causes of social conflict

There are many obvious and hidden causes at the heart of every conflict. The main social preconditions for contradictions are social inequality (there are always rich and poor, bosses and subordinates) and cultural heterogeneity (the existence in society of different value orientations, behavioral systems, etc.).

There are many reasons why social conflicts arise. Let's consider the main ones:

Ideological reasons. There is a certain system of ideas and values that determines dominance and subordination. Participants may have different views of this system.
Various values... Each participant in the conflict, be it an individual or a social group, has its own set of values. Each set is strictly individual, and is often the opposite of the same set of the other participant. The ultimate goal - satisfaction of their own needs - many participants have one. As a result, an interaction of opposing interests arises (everyone wants to satisfy his own needs) and a conflict arises.
Social and economic reasons... They are associated with the distribution of wealth and power, if one of the participants thinks that he has been cheated. This is one of the most common causes of social conflict.
Other reasons: difference in tasks, introduction of innovations, rivalry between groups and leaders.

Structure

The conflict is a multidimensional process with a developed structure. Each specific conflict situation has its own objective and subjective components.

They can be considered in more detail, starting with objective ones:

Subjects of the conflict... Every social conflict is, first of all, the impossibility of reaching mutual understanding between specific people. This is true both for interstate conflict and for family conflicts. In each case, the main characters are people who act, depending on the situation, as individuals or legal entities.
Item... This is a contradiction underlying a specific conflict, something that causes a collision of interests of the participants.
An object... This is a kind of value that all subjects seek to obtain. Any form can be: material (money or other resource), spiritual (any idea), social (power). It is not easy to single out the object of the conflict in each specific case. It is not always found in its pure form; it is often a mixture of at least two forms.
Microenvironment and macroenvironment... These are the conditions in which the parties have to act. The microenvironment is the immediate environment of the participants. Macroenvironment is belonging to certain social groups.

There are also subjective components in every single conflict. This is the tactics and strategy of behavior of each side, the perception of a certain situation, etc.

Types and classification

Various sociological schools put forward their own classifications of conflicts. The most common typology is:

For reasons of occurrence... The reasons can be both objective and subjective.
By the peculiarities of social disagreements... Such conflicts differ in terms of duration and nature of disagreements, sphere of manifestation, etc.
By the impact of the conflict on others... The forms of conflicts differ in their duration (short-term, medium-term, long-term), severity, and scale.
By the characteristics of specific participants... The conflict can be collective, interethnic, etc.
Based on the degree of openness there are hidden and open social conflicts. Latent conflicts do not entail external aggression towards the opponent and are carried out using indirect methods of influence. In open conflicts, there are obvious clashes - quarrels, disputes.
The most famous division of conflicts into horizontal and vertical... This division is based on the position of the opponents. Vertical conflict occurs between a boss and a subordinate, horizontal - between people at the same level. First of all, these are labor disputes.
Based on the composition of the participants, share interpersonal types of conflicts, group, organizational, political, etc. In interpersonal conflicts, the confrontation is between people who do not belong to any social community. In group - between separate social groups. Political conflicts can arise both within society (internal political) and at the international level (foreign policy).

It is worth considering that any attempt to classify conflicts is rather arbitrary. In practice, you can find, for example, a vertical closed interpersonal conflict with a unique set of properties.

Role and functions

In public life, social conflict plays a twofold role. On the one hand, thanks to the conflict, society develops, certain agreements and agreements are reached. On the other hand, the consequences of open confrontation for society are unpredictable.

Conflict has many private functions. Through the adaptive function, individuals adapt to new circumstances. Thanks to the innovative feature, the participants are more aware of the pros and cons of each other.

In general, the functions of social conflict can be divided into two large groups:

Constructive... They include positive functions: relieving tension, carrying out social changes, etc.
Destructive... This includes functions that are negative in nature: the destabilization of relations that have developed in a particular social environment, the destruction of the social community.

Effects

The consequences of a conflict can be viewed from two opposing perspectives:

Functionalist.
Sociological.

Functionalists view conflict as a negative phenomenon that destabilizes society. They highlight the following possible consequences:

Destabilization of society. The emergence of chaotic processes with an unpredictable result. Control mechanisms cease to work.
Distracting the conflict participants from other problems, focusing on certain interests and defeating the enemy.
Impossibility of further cooperation with the opponent.
Removal of the parties to the conflict from society, dissatisfaction, etc.

Adherents of the sociological point of view, for example, Dahrendorf, believe that if certain conditions are met, positive results can be achieved. Positive consequences include:

Resolve the problem in the best way that all stakeholders can accept. This will bring people together and strengthen their mutual understanding. If each participant feels that he is involved in the solution of the problem, he will participate in the implementation of this solution.
Renewal of existing and creation of new mechanisms and institutions. New social groups are formed, a certain balance of interests is observed. This provides relative stability.
Additional incentives for participants. A controlled conflict between people leads to the development of new ideas and solutions. Without participating in conflicts, a person stops developing.

Resolution paths

To analyze the ways of resolving social conflicts, you need to understand how the participants in the conflict behave. The strategy for resolving social conflict depends on their characteristics.

Evasion- the participant has no desire to conflict, to work actively to achieve his own goals. Such a participant can himself get rid of the conflict.
Adaptation... Participants are ready to cooperate, to meet the other side and at the same time work on their own interests.
Confrontation... The interests of other parties are not taken into account, each participant seeks to achieve only his own goals and to impose his opinion on others.
Cooperation... Each participant works to pursue their interests. However, I am ready to work on finding a solution to the conflict in a team with other participants.
Compromise... This style is based on concessions. Each participant is limited to partial achievement of his goals and is somewhat inferior to the rest. This style is preferable to the others, because allows you to partially satisfy the desires of all interested parties.

The result of the conflict can be a complete or partial solution. The first option means the complete elimination of the causes of the conflict. In the second case, only a part of the problems is solved, the rest may appear later.

Examples in society from history

A classic example of social conflict is the 1968 student strike in France. The reasons are the discrepancy between the values of the students of the sixties and the old French general de Gaulle.

Another reason is the "Fouche reform", which consisted in the accelerated training of specialists without eliminating the shortcomings in the educational system. Following the students, there were mass strikes of workers, office workers and engineers.

Ultimately, the president achieved a partial resolution of the conflict, using the public's fear of another revolution. But a year later he resigned.

Video: Social conflict and ways to resolve it

Conflict Is a dispute, a clash between two people or social groups for the possession of something that is equally highly valued by both parties.

The parties to the conflict are calledsubjects of conflict :

– witnesses - these are people watching the conflict from the outside;

– instigators - these are those who push other participants to the conflict;

– accomplices - these are people who contribute to the development of the conflict with advice, technical assistance or other means;

– intermediaries - these are people who, by their actions, try to prevent, stop or resolve the conflict.

Not all parties to the conflict are necessarily in direct confrontation with each other.

The question or the good because of which the conflict flares up, - this is subject of conflict ... The reason and cause for the conflict is different from its subject.

The reason for the conflict - objective circumstances that predetermine the appearance of a conflict... The cause of the conflict is related to the needs of the conflicting parties.

Reason for conflict - a minor incident that contributes to the emergence of conflict but the conflict itself may not develop. The occasion can be both accidental and specially created.

For a correct and comprehensive understanding of the conflict, it is necessary to draw a distinction between it and the contradiction. Contradiction - this is a fundamental incompatibility, disagreement of some important - political, economic, ethnic - interests.

Contradiction necessarily underlies any conflict and manifests itself in social tension - a feeling of dissatisfaction with the state of affairs and a willingness to change it. But a contradiction can remain a contradiction without reaching an open clash, that is, a conflict. Thus, the contradiction expresses the hidden and static moment of the phenomenon, and the conflict - open and dynamic.

Social conflict - this is the highest stage of the development of contradictions in the system of relations between people, social groups, social institutions, society as a whole, which is characterized by the strengthening of opposite tendencies, the interests of social communities and individuals.

In the history of sociology, there are various concepts that reveal the essence of social conflicts.

At the present stage of development of sociological science, there are two main paradigms in terms of the role of conflict in society. Scientists define the following functions of social conflicts.

Conflicts are generated by various reasons: external and internal, universal and individual, material and ideal, objective and subjective etc. The reason for the conflict is related to needs conflicting parties. The following reasons for social conflicts can be distinguished:

- social heterogeneity of society, the presence of opposite orientations;

- differences in the levels of income, power, culture, social prestige, access to education, information;

- religious differences;

- human behavior, his social and psychological traits (temperament, intellect, general culture, etc.).

Social conflict goes through three main stages:

1. Pre-conflict - conflict situation... The parties are aware of the existing emotional stress, strive to overcome it, realize the causes of the conflict, assess their capabilities; the choice of the method of influencing the enemy.

2. Direct conflict - distrust and lack of respect for the enemy; consent is impossible... The presence of an incident (or reason), that is, social actions aimed at changing the behavior of opponents. Their overt and covert actions.

3. Conflict resolution - completion of the incident, elimination of the causes of the conflict.

Types of social conflicts

By duration - long-term; short-term; one-time; lingering; repetitive.

By volume - global; national; local; regional; group; personal.

By source of occurrence - objective; subjective; false.

By means used - violent; non-violent.

By form - internal; external.

By influence on the course of development of society - progressive; regressive.

By the nature of development - deliberate; spontaneous.

By spheres of public life - economic (production); political; ethnic; family and household.

By type of relationship - intra- and intersystem (individual-psychological) levels; intra- and intergroup (socio-psychological) levels; domestic and international (social) levels.

Experts identify the following ways to resolve social conflicts:

– compromise (Latin compromissum) - solution of the problem through mutual concessions of the parties;

– negotiation - a peaceful conversation between both parties to resolve the problem;

– mediation - the use of a third party in the correspondence solution of the problem;

– arbitration (French arbitrage - arbitration court) - contacting a specially empowered authority for help in solving a problem;

– use of force, power, law - unilateral use of power or force by the party that considers itself stronger.

Possible ways out of conflicts are as follows:

– Restoration- the return of society to a pre-conflict state: to the previous forms of social life, social institutions that continue to exist taking into account the new situation.

– Non-interference (waiting) - the hope that "everything will be formed by itself." This is the way of dragging out and procrastinating reforms, marking time in place. In an open society, if the confrontation does not threaten a general collapse, this path, under certain conditions, can be fruitful.

– Update- active way out of the conflict by rejecting, rejecting the old, developing the new.

Each social conflict is specific; it occurs in certain social conditions. Consequently, the ways out of it must correspond to the current specific situation.

The general strategy for getting out of social conflict should be to combine these three paths. Renewal is necessary, this is the key to resolving any conflict, but it is impossible to renew everything due to the inertia of human consciousness. A natural process of recoil (reaction) to some old values and forms should be envisaged.

Modern conflictology has formulated the conditions under which a successful resolution of social conflicts is possible:

- timely and accurate diagnosis of the causes of the conflict, that is, the identification of existing contradictions, interests, goals.

- mutual interest in overcoming contradictions based on the recognition of the interests of the opposite side. This can be achieved on the basis of a goal that is meaningful to both parties.

- joint search for ways to overcome the conflict. Here it is possible to use a whole arsenal of means and methods: direct dialogue between the parties, negotiations through an intermediary, negotiations with the participation of a third party, etc.

During negotiations, priority should be given to discussing substantive issues.

The conflicting parties should strive to relieve psychological and social tension.

The parties to the conflict must demonstrate mutual respect for each other.

All conflicting parties must show a tendency to compromise.

Thus, conflict is the most important aspect of the interaction of people in society, a kind of cell of social life. This is a form of relationship between the subjects of emotional action, the motivation of which is due to opposing values and norms, interests and needs.

Sample assignment

B2. Below is a list of terms. All of them, with the exception of one, are associated with the concept of "social conflict". Compromise; negotiation; arbitration; rehabilitation; witnesses.

Find and specify a term that is not related to the concept of "social conflict".

Answer: Rehabilitation.

Subjective causes of social conflicts lie in certain features of the worldview, mentality, character (psychology), and the level of intelligence of social subjects (Fig. 8.1). More specifically, these subjective characteristics of subjects are manifested in certain feelings, beliefs, interests, ideas, under the influence of which the subjects act and a social conflict begins.

Feelings, beliefs, interests, ideas as causes of social conflicts
The mental motives of subjects for activity are feelings, beliefs, interests, ideas, in which emotions and goals are coupled in unity. A goal is an idea of the intended result of an action, indicating why it is being performed. The goal always presupposes a plan (program) for its implementation. Emotion is mental (psychic) and physical energy, with the help of which the subject performs actions.

Feelings are psychological states of the subject, in which the goal-setting and emotional components of social action are fused together. The subject performs actions under the influence of emotions of envy, fear, aggressiveness, revenge to some extent irrational, imprudent, ill-considered. A sensual impulse to social action, caused by resentment, fear, envy, revenge, hatred, often becomes the cause of social tension and social conflict. The southern peoples, due to their emotionality, are more conflict-prone than the northern peoples. Feelings of fear, love, resentment, hatred, pride, etc. can be subjective causes of social conflicts.

Beliefs represent the ideological and psychological state of the subject, including: 1) knowledge about something that the subject considers true (correct); 2) knowledge that the subject can argue for himself and others; 3) knowledge that evokes positive emotions (and thereby turns into a form of faith), by which the subject is guided in his activities.

Social conflict often arises from the collision of different beliefs of subjects, different views (knowledge) on the same problem: industrial, economic, political, territorial, religious, etc. For example, there is still a conflict between the Catholic and the Orthodox Church on the issue of God, rituals, etc., a conflict between communists and liberals over the issue of justice, democracy, and political order.

Interest is an intellectual and mental striving (attraction) of a subject to objects that are values (goods) for him. Depending on these benefits, material interests (food, clothing, housing, etc.), economic (money, jewelry, shares, etc.), political (power, status, official position, etc.), religious (god, communist idea, etc.), moral (good, duty, honor, justice, etc.), aesthetic (beauty, comic, tragic, etc.).

Interests include: 1) the purpose of the activity, i.e. the idea of the good necessary for the subject (material, economic, political, etc.) in the mind of the subject; 2) a plan (program) of actions and operations aimed at achieving it (achieving the goal); 3) emotional-volitional desire (attraction) of the subject to the subject of interest. In general, interest is a functional, dynamic, organizational, psychological system of regulation of the subject's activity, but not the activity itself.

Obviously, material, aesthetic and other interests differ in the nature of goals, programs of activity, emotional and volitional aspirations. But at the same time, interests in their psychological, organizational, dynamic form have much in common, which allows them to be distinguished as specific regulatory mechanisms of the activities of subjects (individuals, organizations, communities).

Common interests for many individuals that characterize social organizations (parties, states, unions, etc.), social institutions (family, educational, economic, etc.) and social communities (professional, political, territorial), historical communities ( ethnoses, nations, civilizations), appear in the form of ideas: national self-determination, world domination, communist equality, God, etc. These ideas are associated with the interests of individuals, and through them - with the emotions of people and become regulators (motives) of their activities. Therefore, Marx emphasized that an idea always loses its motivating power when it is separated from the interest of individuals.

Subjective causes of social conflicts can be:
1) the contradictions between the interests of people and the norms of behavior in society, to which Parsons drew attention.
For example, the norm requires caring for others, and economic interest pushes for profit. This always causes a social conflict both within the subject and between subjects;
2) the contradiction between the same interests of different subjects aimed at the same subject (power, oil, territory, sovereignty, etc.);
3) opposing interests of different subjects (for example, Chechen extremists strive for sovereignty, and Russia - for territorial integrity);
4) misunderstanding of interests, intentions, actions by subjects who begin to see them as a threat to themselves. These include economic difficulties, and national self-determination, and national pride, and the desire for leadership, etc.

Need as a cause of social conflict
The deep foundation of social conflict is the needs of social actors. They form the essence of emotions, beliefs, interests, ideas and other subjective motives of social conflicts. Social conflicts are ultimately the result of dissatisfaction or infringement (partial satisfaction) of some of the basic needs of social subjects for security, well-being, self-affirmation, and identity.

Need, need, satisfaction form the cycle of functioning of the social subject. Need is a contradiction between the necessary and the actual state of the "body" of the subject, reflected in the form of emotions, feelings, judgments of discontent ("I am hungry", "I have no rights", etc.). Satisfaction is the unity of the necessary and actual state of the "body" of the subject, reflected in emotions, feelings, judgments of satisfaction ("I am full", "I am full of rights", etc.). These are passive states of the subject under the influence of the interaction of the internal (body) and external environment.

Need is a need-driven desire for satisfaction, which is a powerful consciously - psychological mechanism for the regulation of human activity. This is not an activity, but a mechanism for regulating the activity in which the need is realized.

The need includes: 1) the idea - the goal of the social good that he needs to satisfy; 2) a set of interests-goals, which act as means of realizing the needs-goals; 3) a program of evaluative and cognitive actions of objects of the environment for choosing the right benefit among them; 4) a program of consumer actions and operations that transform the object of consumption into an object of satisfaction and the "body" of a social subject.

All people's needs can be divided into material (food, clothing, housing, etc.), social (safety, respect, self-affirmation, etc.), spiritual (goodness, justice, beauty, god, etc.). They differ in their objects and conscious psychological mechanisms of realization. The need, being realized, does not always lead to a state of satisfaction of the subject. Then the need is either intensified, or replaced, or disappears. The latter leads to the transformation of the subject, since the needs form its essence.

Intellect and social ideal as causes of social conflicts
The most important subjective cause of social conflicts is the level of intelligence. Lack of intelligence often becomes a subjective cause of social conflicts, when the organizing and aggressive side cannot "calculate" the balance of their own and others' forces, the price of victory and defeat, and gets involved in a conflict in the hope of an easy victory when there are corresponding needs, interests, beliefs, etc. NS. This happened with the Russian leadership headed by Yeltsin during the first Chechen war. One of the main subjective reasons for the collapse of the USSR and the collapse of the proletarian-socialist formation was the lack of sufficient intelligence and the dogmatism of the then political leadership of the country.

Reasonable activity of a social subject represents the unity of the social ideal and intellect. Only in relation to the social ideal we have can we evaluate our actions as right or wrong. The social ideal is different for different social subjects, therefore it forms the most important subjective cause of social conflicts. For the sake of the ideal of social equality, the Bolsheviks unleashed a nightmare social conflict in Russia, which ended in civil war, collectivization, industrialization, the elimination of religion, the expulsion of the Russian intelligentsia and like-mindedness. The presence of a liberal or socialist ideal is the most important subjective condition for social conflict in modern society.

Objective causes of social conflicts
Subjective causes of social conflicts are the expression of objective causes and their interpretations by subjects. Objective reasons are those that are outside the consciousness and will of people, social communities, institutions, organizations. Many objective causes of social conflicts can be grouped in several general series (Figure 8.2).

Disorganization of society as a cause of social conflict
First of all, such an objective cause of social conflicts is, in the opinion of the famous Polish sociologist J. Szczepanski, the disorganization of society, i.e. output of production (stoppage of production and unemployment), economic (inflation, non-payment of wages, etc.), social (inequality between different social groups), political (collapse of the USSR, war in Chechnya, etc.), ideological (struggle liberalism and communism in post-Soviet Russia) processes beyond the existing norms in society and Threatening the interests of individuals, social groups, organizations.

So, for example, it happened after the collapse of the USSR, when instead of the state distribution of goods and money, the market was introduced, instead of social equality of people, a pronounced division into the poor and the rich arose, when the leading role of the party disappeared, and the judicial and legal systems had not yet emerged, when the communist the ideology was recognized as utopian, and no other, except for the ideology of enrichment, was proposed.

Disorganization of society is associated with the disintegration of state and public (family, school, trade union, etc.) institutions (organizations) that are unable to keep environmental, industrial, economic, political, ideological processes within the normal limits for a given (in our case, post-Soviet) society. ... This can also include natural (earthquakes, floods, tsunamis), man-made (Chernobyl), economic (depreciation of deposits, privatization, financial disasters, etc.), political (shooting of the Russian parliament building in October 1993, reform of the vertical of power, started by President V. Putin, etc.), military (Chechen war) disasters and events.

The state of disorganization and disintegration of society causes many social conflicts, which outwardly manifest themselves in the spread of alcoholism, sexual promiscuity, an increase in crime, an increase in mental illness, the spread of suicides, etc.

Inequality of opportunities for social actors
Inequality of opportunities of social subjects in everyday, economic, political, national, educational, and religious spheres is often cited as objective causes of social conflicts. This inequality refers to the resources, statuses, values of the subjects. There are subjects with the same interests who do not have enough resources. For example, there is not enough (shortage) of housing, work, security, power, etc. So, now a significant part of people do not have enough money for living, paying for housing, buying medicines, maintaining security, etc. The most important objective cause of social conflicts is the clash of different interests. For example, liberals are oriented towards a market economy at the expense of the interests of the common people. And ordinary people do not want to sacrifice their lives, habits, convictions for the sake of liberal ideas, plans, transformations. Obviously, with the development of mankind, the deficit of many benefits will deepen, becoming an objective cause of social conflicts, as well as the opposition of interests of different social subjects.

The desire to eliminate these causes and thereby social conflicts, especially class conflicts (between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat), gave rise to socialist projects to eliminate one or another type of inequality in general, especially class. And this was done in the USSR and other countries of proletarian socialism. The foundations of many social conflicts, in fact, were not eliminated, but driven deep into the depths, as happened with the conflicts between the intelligentsia and the proletariat and interethnic conflicts. As a result, negative consequences were revealed: the achievement of social equality in political, social, economic spheres and led the USSR to totalitarianism, stagnation in the economy and living standards of the population, loss of incentives to work and self-development, aggravation of interethnic relations. As a result, the USSR lost its motives for self-movement and found itself in a state of stagnation during the Brezhnev period, which ultimately led the country to collapse.

This once again proves that each inequality is an incentive for the self-development of people and society. Inequality cannot be completely eliminated; it only needs to be mitigated to a certain extent. Social inequality also exists in the countries of liberal (USA, etc.) and democratic (Germany, etc.) capitalism; for example, in the USA to a greater extent, and in Germany to a lesser extent.

Scientists have long ago discovered the connection between social inequality (equality) and the efficiency of social production: the higher the social inequality, the greater the efficiency of social production, the rate of social development and social instability. In market countries, there is a universal mechanism for finding the balance (unity) of these two parties. This is the mechanism of political democracy, the presence of right, center and left parties in the political superstructure of society. When right-wing parties are in power, society is focused primarily on production efficiency. The fair distribution of the goods produced is gradually disrupted, workers' indignation and political instability arise. As a result, left-wing parties come to power, focused on a more equitable redistribution of the goods produced. There is a decrease in the efficiency of social production. Post-Soviet Russia still has a very long way to go in this direction.

Objective factors induce subjective causes
Objective reasons - subjective reasons - social conflict - this is the chain of cause and effect that connects the conflict with its causes.

And can subjective factors without objective prerequisites, i.e. by themselves, cause social conflict? Yes. In this case, intrapersonal or interpersonal conflicts, which, by our definition, are not social, will become the causes of social conflict, as it may have been in the relationship between Yeltsin and Dudayev before the start of the first Chechen war.

If we assume that it is the infringement (dissatisfaction or partial satisfaction) of the needs of the social subject that is the ultimate cause of social conflict, then the approach to its settlement also changes. To do this, it is necessary, first of all, to eliminate the objective reasons for the infringement of the needs of social subjects, to mitigate social inequality, to establish democratic order in society, not to infringe on one social subject of another in his needs.

The resolution of social contradictions due to social good should always be guided by the needs of the subjects. It is possible to divide fairly the subject of the conflict only when the needs of potential or actual adversaries are fair. Therefore, a genuine resolution of social conflict is possible only with a deep analysis by the opposing subjects of their needs, interests, and claims. It is no coincidence that J. Barton, the head of a team of researchers dealing with the problem of resolving social conflict, believes:

Only an organizational effort that fully satisfies basic human needs can truly bring about an end to the conflict, i.e. his resolution, which in its entirety affects the subject of the dispute and establishes new, self-sufficient relations between opponents.

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Introduction

Social conflicts play an important role in the lives of people, peoples and countries. This problem has become the subject of analysis by ancient historians and thinkers. Every major conflict did not go unnoticed.

Contradictions permeate all spheres of life: socio-economic, political, spiritual. The simultaneous aggravation of all these types of contradictions creates a crisis in society. The crisis in society is the result of profound changes in the content and forms of life of various social groups, a serious violation of the control mechanism in the economy, politics, and culture. A sharp rise in social tension is a manifestation of the crisis in society. Social tension often escalates into conflict.

I believe that the relevance of the topic is evidenced by the fact that the clash of points of view, opinions, positions is a very frequent phenomenon of life. Therefore, in order to develop the correct line of behavior in various conflict situations, it is necessary to know what a conflict is and how people come to an agreement.

The theoretical and methodological basis of the study was made up of three groups of sources. The first includes the author's publications on the issues under study. The second includes educational literature (textbooks and teaching aids, reference and encyclopedic literature). The third includes scientific articles in periodicals on the issues under study.

Object of work- social conflicts.

Subject of study- causes of social conflicts.

purpose of work- to identify the causes of social conflicts.

The stated goal determines research objectives:

1. Define the concept of social conflict.

2. Consider examples of social conflicts in modern society.

3. Identify the causes, stages and consequences of social conflicts.

1. Existentsocial conflict

1.1 Concept andthe concept of social conflict

Before proceeding to consider the selected topic, you need to define the concept of "conflict". The most common definition of a conflict (from the Latin conflictus - collision) is a clash of conflicting or incompatible forces. A more complete definition is a contradiction that arises between people or collectives in the process of their joint labor activity due to misunderstanding or opposition of interests, lack of agreement between two or more parties. conflict social society

Conflict is a clash of opposing goals, positions, and views of the subjects of interaction. At the same time, the conflict is the most important aspect of the interaction of people in society, a phenomenon of social life. It is a form of relationship between potential or actual subjects of social action, the motivation of which is due to opposing values and norms, interests and needs.

The conflict has been the subject of study by many historians, scholars and researchers. However, until the end of the 18th century. thinkers reduced it to the problem of domination and subordination, solved thanks to the regulating activity of the state.

Conflict as a social phenomenon was first formulated in the work of Adam Smith "Research on the nature and causes of the wealth of nations" (1776). It suggested that the conflict is based on the division of society into classes and economic rivalry. This division is the driving force behind the development of society, performing useful functions.

The problem of social conflict was also substantiated in the works of K. Marx, F. Engels, V.I. Lenin. This fact served as the basis for Western scholars to classify the Marxist concept as a “conflict theory”. It should be noted that in Marxism the problem of the conflict received a simplified interpretation.

The problem of the conflict received its theoretical substantiation in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. The English sociologist Herbert Spencer (1820-1903), considering social conflict from the standpoint of social Darwinism, considered it an inevitable phenomenon in the history of society and a stimulus for social development. The same position was held by the German sociologist (the founder of understanding sociology and the theory of social action) Max Weber (1864-1920). His compatriot Georg Simmel (1858-1918) first coined the term “sociology of conflict”. On the basis of his theory of "social conflicts," the so-called "formal school" later emerged, whose representatives attach importance to contradictions and conflicts as stimulators of progress.

In the modern theory of conflict, there are many points of view about the nature of this phenomenon, and the practical recommendations of various authors are also non-uniform.

One of them, conventionally called socio-biological, argues that conflict is inherent in humans as well as in all animals. Researchers of this direction rely on the theory of natural selection discovered by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882) and from it they deduce the idea of natural aggressiveness of a person in general. The main content of his theory of biological evolution is set out in the book The Origin of Species by Natural Selection, or the Conservation of Favored Breeds in the Struggle for Life, published in 1859. The main idea of the work: the development of living nature is carried out under conditions of a constant struggle for survival, which is the natural mechanism for selecting the most adapted species. Following Charles Darwin, "social Darwinism" appeared as a trend, whose adherents began to explain the evolution of social life by the biological laws of natural selection. Also based on the principle of the struggle for existence, but already a purely sociological concept was developed by Herbert Spencer (1820-1903). He believed that the state of confrontation is universal and ensures balance not only within society, but also between society and the surrounding nature. The law of conflict was considered by G. Spencer as a universal law, but its manifestations must be observed until, in the process of development of society, a complete balance between peoples and races is achieved.

A similar point of view was also shared by the American social Darwinist William Sumner (1840-1910), who argued that the weak, worst representatives of the human race perish in the struggle for existence. Winners (successful American industrialists, bankers) are the true creators of human values, the best people.

At present, the ideas of social Darwinism have few followers, but individual ideas of this theory turn out to be useful in resolving current conflicts.

The second theory - socio-psychological, explains the conflict through the theory of tension. The most widespread of it belongs to the period of the Second World War. It is based on the statement: the features of a modern industrial society inevitably entail a state of tension in most people, when the balance between the individual and the environment is disturbed. This is associated with overcrowding, overcrowding, impersonal and unstable relationships.

Explaining the conflict with the help of the theory of tension presents some difficulty, since it cannot determine at what level of tension the conflict should arise. Indicators of stress, manifested in a specific situation, are individual states of individuals and can hardly be used to predict collective outbursts of aggression.

The third point of view, traditionally called the class or the theory of violence, is the statement: social conflict is reproduced by societies with a certain social structure. Among the authors of similar views on the conflict are Karl Marx (1818-1883), Friedrich Engels (1820-1895), V.I. Lenin (1870-1924), Mao Zedong (1893-1976); German-American sociologist, representative of neo-Marxism Herbert Marcuse (1898-1979), American sociologist of left-wing radical orientation Charles Wright Mills (1916-1962). Not without the influence of Marxism, the Italian school of political sociology developed, which created the theory of elites, the classics of which were Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923), Gaetano Mosca (1858-1941), Robert Michels (1876-1936).

K. Marx believed that the conflict in society occurs due to the division of people into different classes in accordance with their position in the economic system. The main classes of society, according to Marx, are the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, between which there is constant enmity, since the goal of the bourgeoisie is the domination and exploitation of wage workers. Antagonistic conflicts lead to revolutions that are the locomotives of history. In this case, the conflict is viewed as an inevitable collision, which must be properly organized in the name of accelerating the development of society, and violence is justified by the tasks of future creation.

The fourth point of view on conflict belongs to functionalists: conflict is viewed as a distortion, a dysfunctional process in social systems.

The leading representative of this trend, the American sociologist Talcott Parsons (1902-1979), interpreted the conflict as a social anomaly, a "disaster" that must be overcome. He formulated a number of social prerequisites that ensure the stability of society:

1. meeting the basic biological and psychological needs of the majority of society;

2. effective activity of the bodies of social control, educating citizens in accordance with the norms adopted in the given society;

3. the coincidence of individual motivations with social attitudes.

According to functionalists, a well-functioning social system should be dominated by consensus, and conflict should not be found in society.

Later, modern, most popular concepts of social conflict appeared, conventionally called dialectical: conflict is functional for social systems. The most famous among them are the concepts of Lewis Coser, Ralph Dahrendorf and Kenneth Boulding.

The conflict is viewed by researchers as an inevitable part of the integrity of social relationships of people, not as a pathology and weakness of behavior. In this sense, conflict is not the opposite of order. Peace is not the absence of conflict, it consists in constructive communication with it, and peace is a working process of conflict resolution.

In 1956, the American sociologist Lewis Coser published the book "The Functions of Social Conflict", where he outlined his concept, which was called "the concept of positive-functional conflict." He constructed it in addition to the classical theories of structural functionalism, in which conflicts are outside the scope of sociological analysis. If structural functionalism saw an anomaly, a disaster in conflicts, L. Coser argued that the more different conflicts intersect in a society, the more difficult it is to create a united front dividing members of society into two camps, rigidly opposing each other. The more conflicts independent from each other, the better for the unity of society.

Europe in the 1960s also rekindled interest in the conflict. In 1965, the German sociologist Ralf Dahrendorf published his work "Class Structure and Class Conflict", and two years later, an essay entitled "Beyond Utopia." His concept of a "conflict model of society" is built on a dystopian, real vision of the world - a world of power, conflict and dynamics. If Coser argued the positive role of conflicts in achieving social cohesion, then Dahrendorf believed that disintegration and conflict are present in every society, this is a permanent state of a social organism:

“All social life is a conflict because it is changeable. There is no constancy in human societies, because there is nothing stable in them. Therefore, it is precisely in the conflict that the creative core of all communities and the possibility of freedom, as well as the challenge to rational mastery and control over social problems, are found.

Contemporary American sociologist and economist Kenneth Boulding, author of the "general theory of conflict" in the work "Conflict and Defense. General theory ”(1963) tried to present a holistic scientific theory of conflict, covering all manifestations of animate and inanimate nature, individual and social life.

He applies conflict in the analysis of both physical, biological and social phenomena, arguing that even inanimate nature is full of conflicts, waging an "endless war of the sea against land and some forms of earthly rock against other forms."

An essential aspect of social conflict is that these subjects act within the framework of a broader system of connections, which is modified (strengthened or destroyed) under the influence of the conflict.
If interests are multidirectional and opposite, then their opposition will be found in a mass of very different assessments; they themselves will find for themselves a "field of collision", while the degree of rationality of the claims put forward will be very conditional and limited. It is likely that at each of the stages of the deployment of the conflict, it will be concentrated at a certain point of intersection of interests. The situation with ethnic-ethnic conflicts is more complicated. In different regions of the former USSR, these conflicts had a different mechanism of occurrence. For the Baltics, the problem of state sovereignty was of particular importance, for the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, the territorial status issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, for Tajikistan - inter-clan relations.

The behavior of people in conflict can be different. It can take the form of avoidance, rivalry, accommodation, compromise, or cooperation.

These strategies differ in the degree to which the interests of each of the parties are satisfied.

1. Avoidance - a person ignores a conflict situation, pretends that it does not exist, "leaves". This strategy is optimal when the situation is not particularly significant and is not worth it to waste your energy and resources. Sometimes it is better not to mess with, as the chances of improving something are close to zero.

2. Rivalry - the satisfaction of only their own interests, not taking into account the interests of the other side. Such a strategy is often quite logical, for example, in sports competitions, when applying for a competition to a university, when finding a job. But sometimes the confrontation takes on a destructive character - "victory at any cost", dishonest and cruel methods are used.

3. Adaptation - compliance with the opponent, up to complete surrender to his demands. Concessions can demonstrate goodwill, ease tensions in a relationship, and even turn the tide from confrontation to cooperation. This strategy conserves resources and preserves relationships. But sometimes concession is perceived as a manifestation of weakness, which can lead to an escalation of the conflict. We can be deceived into expecting reciprocal concessions from our opponent.

4. Compromise - mutual concessions of the parties. The ideal compromise is to satisfy the interests of each of the parties in half. But often one side makes big concessions compared to the other, which can lead to an even greater aggravation of relations in the future. Often, a compromise is a temporary way out, since neither side has fully satisfied its interests.

5. Cooperation - meeting the interests of both parties. Cooperation requires a transition from defending one's positions to a deeper level, at which compatibility and common interests are revealed. With this strategy, the conflict is well resolved, partnerships are maintained during and after the conflict. Collaboration requires the intellectual and emotional efforts of the parties, as well as time and resources.

It should be noted that none of the strategies can be unambiguously "good" or "bad". Each of them can be optimal in a particular situation.

1.2 Social conflicts in modern society.

In modern conditions, in essence, each sphere of social life gives rise to its own specific types of social conflicts. Therefore, we can talk about political, national-ethnic, economic, cultural and other types of conflicts.

Political conflict - it is a conflict over the distribution of power,

dominance, influence, authority. This conflict can be hidden or open. One of the most striking forms of its manifestation in modern Russia is the conflict between the executive and legislative branches of the country that lasted for the entire time after the collapse of the USSR. The objective causes of the conflict have not been eliminated, and it has passed to a new stage of its development. From now on, it is being implemented in new forms of confrontation between the President and the Federal Assembly, as well as the executive and legislative powers in the regions.

National-ethnic conflicts - conflicts based on the struggle for the rights and interests of ethnic and national groups - occupy a prominent place in modern life. Most often these are conflicts associated with status or territorial claims. Also, a significant role is played by the problem of cultural self-determination of certain national communities.

Socio-economic conflicts play an important role in modern life in Russia, that is, conflicts over livelihoods, the level of wages, the use of professional and intellectual potential, the level of prices for various goods, about real access to these benefits and other resources. Social conflicts in various spheres of public life can proceed in the form of intra-institutional and organizational norms and procedures: discussions, inquiries, adoption of declarations, laws, etc. The most vivid form of expression of the conflict is various kinds of mass actions. These massive actions are implemented in the form of making demands to the authorities by dissatisfied social groups, in mobilizing public opinion in support of their demands or alternative programs, in direct actions of social protest. Mass protest is an active form of conflict behavior. It can be expressed in various forms: organized and spontaneous, direct or indirect, taking on the character of violence or a system of nonviolent action. The organizers of the mass protests are political organizations and the so-called "pressure groups" that unite people for economic goals, professional, religious and cultural interests. Forms of expression of mass protests can be rallies, demonstrations, picketing, civil disobedience campaigns, strikes. Each of these forms is used for specific purposes, is an effective means of solving very specific problems. Therefore, when choosing a form of social protest, its organizers must clearly understand what specific goals are set for this action and what public support for certain requirements is.

2. CharacterTheristics of social conflicts

Despite the numerous manifestations of conflict interactions in social life, they all have a number of common characteristics, the study of which makes it possible to classify the main parameters of conflicts, as well as to identify factors that affect their intensity. All conflicts have four main parameters: the causes of the conflict, the severity of the conflict, its duration and consequences.

2.1 Causes of Social Conflictwho in

Determining the causes is important in the study of conflict interactions, since the cause is the point around which the conflict situation unfolds.

Early diagnosis of a conflict is primarily aimed at finding its real cause, which makes it possible to exercise social control over the behavior of social groups at the pre-conflict stage.

It is advisable to begin the analysis of the causes of social conflict with their typology.

The following types of reasons can be distinguished.

1. The presence of opposite orientations. Each individual and social group has a certain set of value orientations regarding the most significant aspects of social life. They are all different and usually opposite. At the moment of striving to satisfy needs, in the presence of blocked goals, which several individuals or groups are trying to achieve, opposite value orientations come into contact and can cause a conflict.

2. Ideological reasons. Conflicts arising on the basis of ideological differences are a special case of the conflict of the opposite of orientation. The difference between them is that the ideological cause of the conflict lies in the different attitude to the system of ideas that justify and legitimize the relations of subordination, domination and in the fundamental worldviews of various groups of society. In this case, elements of faith, religious, socio-political aspirations become a catalyst for contradictions.

3. Causes of conflicts, consisting in various forms of economic and social inequality. This type of reasons is associated with a significant difference in the distribution of values (income, knowledge, information, elements of culture, etc.) between individuals and groups. Inequality in the distribution of values exists everywhere, but the conflict arises only when such a level of inequality is regarded by one of the social groups as very significant, and only if such a significant inequality leads to a blockage of important social needs in one of the social groups. The resulting social tension in this case can cause social conflict. It is caused by the appearance of additional needs in people, for example, the need to possess the same amount of values.

4. Causes of conflicts that lie in the relationship between the elements of the social structure. They arise as a result of the different places that structural elements occupy in a society, an organization, or an ordered social group. For this reason, a conflict may be associated, first, with different goals pursued by individual elements. Secondly, the conflict for this reason is associated with the desire of one or another structural element to take a higher place in the hierarchical structure.

Any of the listed reasons can serve as an impetus, the first stage of a conflict only if certain external conditions are present. In addition to the existence of the cause of the conflict, certain conditions must develop around it, serving as a breeding ground for the conflict. Therefore, it is impossible to consider and evaluate the cause of the conflict without taking into account the conditions that, to varying degrees, affect the state of relations between individuals and groups that have fallen into the scope of these conditions.

2.2 Pungency and duration

Speaking about an acute social conflict, first of all, they mean a conflict with a high intensity of social clashes, as a result of which a large amount of psychological and material resources are expended in a short time. An acute conflict is characterized mainly by open clashes that occur so often that they merge into a single whole. The severity of the conflict depends to the greatest extent on the socio-psychological characteristics of the opposing sides, as well as on the situation requiring immediate action. An acute conflict is much more short-lived than a conflict with less violent clashes and with long intervals between them. However, an acute conflict is undoubtedly more destructive, it causes significant damage to the enemy's resources, their prestige, status and psychological balance.

The duration of the conflict is of great importance for the opposing sides. First of all, the magnitude and persistence of changes in groups and systems, which are the result of the expenditure of resources in conflict collisions, depend on it. In addition, in long-term conflicts, the expenditure of emotional energy increases and the likelihood of a new conflict arises due to the imbalance of social systems, the lack of balance in them.

2.3 Stages of social conflicts

Any social conflict has a rather complex internal structure. It is advisable to analyze the content and characteristics of the course of social conflict in four main stages:

1) pre-conflict stage;

2) direct conflict;

3) the stage of conflict resolution;

4) post-conflict stage.

Let's consider all the stages in more detail.

1. Pre-conflict stage.

No social conflict arises instantly. Emotional stress, irritation and anger usually build up over time, so the pre-conflict stage is sometimes delayed. At this stage, we can talk about the latent (latent) phase of the development of the conflict. Representatives of the group of domestic conflict experts, these are A. Zaitsev, A. Dmitriev, V. Kudryavtsev, G. Kudryavtsev, V. Shalenko consider it necessary to characterize this stage with the concept of “social tension”. Social tension is a special socio-psychological state of social consciousness and behavior of individuals, social groups and society as a whole, a specific situation of perception and evaluation of events, characterized by increased emotional agitation, violation of the mechanisms of social regulation and control.

Each form of social conflict may have its own specific indicators of social tension. Social tension arises when the conflict has not yet taken shape, when there are no clearly identified parties to the conflict.

A characteristic feature of each conflict is the presence of an object, the possession of which (or the achievement of which) is associated with the frustration of the needs of the two subjects involved in the conflict. This object must be fundamentally indivisible or appear to be so in the eyes of rivals. The indivisible object is the cause of the conflict. The presence and size of such an object must be at least partially realized by its participants or opposing sides. If this does not happen, then it is difficult for opponents to carry out an aggressive action, and, as a rule, there is no conflict.

The pre-conflict stage is a period in which the conflicting parties assess their resources before deciding on conflict actions or retreating. These resources include material values that can be used to influence an opponent, information, power, connections, prestige, etc. At the same time, there is a consolidation of the forces of the opposing sides, a search for supporters and the formation of groups participating in the conflict.

The pre-conflict stage is also characteristic in the formation of each of the conflicting sides of a strategy or even several strategies. Moreover, the one that most corresponds to the situation is applied. A strategy is understood as the vision of the situation by the participants in the conflict, the formation of a goal in relation to the opposing side and, finally, the choice of a method of influencing the enemy. With the right choice of strategy, methods of action, conflicts can be prevented.

2. Directly the conflict.

This stage is characterized primarily by the presence of an incident, i.e. social actions aimed at changing the behavior of opponents. This is an active, active part of the conflict. Thus, the entire conflict is made up of a conflict situation that is formed at the pre-conflict stage and an incident.

Conflict behavior characterizes the second, main stage of conflict development. Conflicting behavior is an action aimed at directly or indirectly blocking the achievement by the opposing party of its goals, intentions, interests.

The actions that make up the incident are divided into two groups, each of which is based on the specific behavior of people. The first group includes the actions of opponents in the conflict, which are of an open nature. It can be verbal debate, economic sanctions, physical pressure, political struggle, sports, etc. Such actions, as a rule, are easily identified as conflict, aggressive, hostile. The second group includes the hidden actions of opponents in the conflict. A veiled, but nevertheless extremely active struggle is aimed at imposing an unfavorable course of action on the opponent and at the same time revealing his strategy. The main mode of action in a latent internal conflict is reflexive control - a method of control in which the grounds for making a decision are transferred from one of the actors to another. This means that one of the rivals is trying to transmit and introduce into the consciousness of the other such information that makes this other act in a way that is beneficial to the one who transmitted this information.

A very characteristic moment at the stage of the conflict itself is the presence of a critical point, upon reaching which conflict interactions between the opposing sides reach maximum acuteness and strength. Integration, unidirectional efforts of each of the conflicting parties, and the cohesion of the groups involved in the conflict can be considered one of the criteria for approaching the critical point.

It is important to know the time of passing the critical point, since after that the situation is most manageable. At the same time, intervention at a critical moment, at the peak of a conflict, is useless or even dangerous. Achievement of a critical point and its passage largely depend on circumstances external to the parties to the conflict, as well as on resources and values brought into the conflict from outside.

Conflict resolution and its consequences.

An external sign of the resolution of the conflict may be the end of the incident. It is a completion, not a temporary cessation. This means that conflict interaction between the conflicting parties stops. Elimination, termination of the incident is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for settling the conflict. Often, having stopped active conflict interaction, people continue to experience a frustrating state, look for its causes. In this case, the conflict flares up again.

The resolution of a social conflict is possible only when the conflict situation changes. This change can take many forms. But the most effective change in the conflict situation, allowing to extinguish the conflict, is considered to be the elimination of the cause of the conflict. In a rational conflict, the elimination of the cause inevitably leads to its resolution, but for an emotional conflict, the most important moment in changing the conflict situation should be considered a change in the attitudes of rivals relative to each other. It is also possible to resolve a social conflict by changing the requirements of one of the parties: the opponent makes concessions and changes the goals of his behavior in the conflict.

Social conflict can also be resolved as a result of the depletion of the resources of the parties or the intervention of a third force, creating an overwhelming preponderance of one of the parties, and, finally, as a result of the complete elimination of the opponent. In all these cases, a change in the conflict situation certainly occurs.

Modern conflictology has formulated the conditions under which a successful resolution of social conflicts is possible. One of the important conditions is a timely and accurate analysis of its causes. And this presupposes the identification of objectively existing contradictions, interests, goals.

Another, no less important condition is mutual interest in overcoming contradictions on the basis of mutual recognition of the interests of each of the parties. For this, the parties to the conflict must strive to free themselves from hostility and mistrust towards each other. It is possible to achieve this state on the basis of a goal that is meaningful for each group on a broader basis. The third, indispensable condition is the joint search for ways to overcome the conflict. Here it is possible to use a whole arsenal of means and methods: direct dialogue between the parties, negotiations with the participation of a third party, etc.

1) priority should be given to the discussion of substantive issues;

2) the parties should strive to relieve psychological and social tension;

3) the parties must demonstrate mutual respect for each other;

4) the participants should strive to turn a significant and hidden part of the conflict situation into an open one, openly and demonstratively revealing each other's positions and deliberately creating an atmosphere of public equal exchange of views.

Conflicts, on the one hand, destroy social structures, lead to significant waste of resources, and on the other hand, they are the mechanism that helps to solve many problems, unites groups and ultimately serves as one of the ways to achieve social justice. The duality in people's assessment of the consequences of conflict has led to the fact that sociologists engaged in the theory of conflict do not come to a common point of view about whether conflicts are useful or harmful to society. Thus, many believe that society and its individual elements develop as a result of evolutionary changes, i.e. in the course of continuous improvement and the emergence of more viable social structures based on the accumulation of experience, knowledge, cultural patterns and production development, and as a result, it is assumed that social conflict can only be negative, destructive and destructive. Another group of scientists recognizes the constructive, useful content of any conflict, since as a result of conflicts, new qualitative determinations appear. According to the supporters of this point of view, any finite object of the social world from the moment of its inception carries in itself its own negation, or its own death. Upon reaching a certain limit or measure, as a result of quantitative growth, a contradiction carrying negation comes into conflict with the essential characteristics of a given object, in connection with which a new qualitative certainty is formed.

Constructive and destructive ways of conflict depend on the characteristics of its subject: size, rigidity, centralization, relationship with other problems, level of awareness. The conflict grows if:

1) competing groups are increasing;

2) it is a conflict over principles, rights or personalities;

3) the resolution of the conflict forms a significant precedent;

4) the conflict is perceived as winning-losing;

5) the views and interests of the parties are not linked;

6) the conflict is poorly defined, nonspecific, vague.

A particular consequence of the conflict may be the strengthening of group interaction. As interests and points of view within the group change from time to time, new leaders, new policies, new intragroup norms are needed. As a result of the conflict, the early introduction of new leadership, new policies and new norms is possible. Conflict may be the only way out of a tense situation.

Conclusion

Social conflicts are increasingly becoming the norm in social relations. Conflicts in the twentieth century have become the main cause of the death of a huge mass of people. Russia is the undisputed leader not only in terms of human losses in conflicts, but also in their other consequences: material and moral. This fact presented Russia with a choice: either the government and the people will be able to at least keep social conflicts within a regulated framework, or the conflicts will rule the people and the government. Today, every citizen needs knowledge about how to prevent and constructively resolve conflicts of various levels.

This knowledge is difficult to obtain, relying only on common sense; it is impossible to completely borrow it from foreign specialists, since domestic conflicts are very specific. To solve this problem, it is important to systematize the existing knowledge about conflicts, to outline the prospects for priority conflictological studies.

Therefore, conflicts in our life are inevitable. You need to learn how to manage them, strive to resolve them with the least cost to society.

Posted on Allbest.ru

Social conflict as part of teaching

Disagreements between people, as part of social relationships, were highlighted by Adam Smith. In his opinion, it was the social conflict that was the reason why the population began to be divided into social classes. But there was also a positive side. Indeed, thanks to the conflicts that arose, the population could discover a lot of new things and find ways that would help to get out of the situation that had arisen.

German sociologists were convinced that conflicts are characteristic of all peoples and nationalities. Indeed, in every society there are individuals who want to elevate themselves and their interests above their social environment. Therefore, a division of the level of human interest in a particular issue arises, and class inequality also arises.

But American sociologists in their works mentioned that without conflicts, social life will be monotonous, devoid of interpersonal interaction. At the same time, only the members of society themselves are able to kindle hostility, control it and extinguish it in the same way.

Conflict and the modern world

Today, not a single day of human life is practically complete without a clash of interests. Such clashes can affect absolutely any area of life. As a result, various types and forms of social conflict arise.

So, social conflict is the last stage of the collision of different views on one situation. Social conflict, the types of which we will consider below, can become a large-scale problem. So, due to the lack of separation of interests or the opinions of others, family and even national contradictions appear. As a result, the type of conflict may change, depending on the scale of the action.

If you try to decipher the concept and types of social conflicts, then you can clearly see that the meaning of this term is much broader than it initially seems. There are many interpretations of one term, because each nationality understands it in its own way. But the basis is the same meaning, namely the clash of interests, opinions and even goals of people. For a better perception, it can be assumed that any types of social conflicts - this is another form of human relations in society.

Functions of social conflict

As you can see, the concept of social conflict and its components were defined long before modern times. It was then that the conflict was endowed with certain functions, thanks to which its significance for social society is clearly visible.

So there are several important functions:

Signal.
Informational.
Differentiating.
Dynamic.

The meaning of the first is immediately indicated by its name. Therefore, it is clear that due to the nature of the conflict, it is possible to determine the state of the society and what it wants. Sociologists are sure that if people start a conflict, then there are certain reasons and unresolved problems. Therefore, it is regarded as a kind of signal that it is necessary to act urgently and do something.

Informational - has a meaning similar to the previous function. Information about the conflict is of great importance on the path to determining the causes of occurrence. By processing such data, the government studies the essence of all events taking place in society.

Thanks to the third function, society acquires a certain structure. So, in the event of a conflict affecting public interests, even those who previously would prefer not to intervene take part in it. There is a division of the population into certain social groups.

The fourth function was discovered during the worship of the teachings of Marxism. It is believed that it is she who plays the role of an engine in all social processes.

Reasons why conflicts arise

The reasons are quite obvious and understandable, even if we consider only the definition of social conflicts. Everything is hidden precisely in different views on action. Indeed, often some try, by all means, to impose their ideas, even if they harm others. This happens when there are several options for using one item.

The types of social conflict differ, depending on many factors such as scale, theme, character, and more. So, even family disagreements have the character of social conflict. After all, when a husband and wife share TV, trying to watch different channels, a dispute arises on the basis of a clash of interests. To solve such a problem, two televisions are needed, then there could be no conflict.

According to sociologists, conflicts in society cannot be avoided, because proving one's point of view is a natural aspiration of a person, which means that nothing can change this. They also concluded that a social conflict, the types of which are not dangerous, may even be useful for society. After all, this is how people learn not to perceive others as enemies, become closer and begin to respect each other's interests.

Components of the conflict

Any conflict includes two mandatory components:

the reason for the disagreement is called the object;
people whose interests collided in the dispute are also subjects.

There are no restrictions on the number of participants in the dispute;

The reason for the conflict may appear in the literature as an incident.

By the way, the conflict that has arisen does not always have an open form. It also happens that the collision of different ideas has become the cause of resentment, which are part of what is happening. This is how various types of socio-psychological conflicts arise, which have a latent form and can be called "frozen" conflicts.

Types of social conflicts

Knowing what a conflict is, what are its causes and components, we can identify the main types of social conflicts. They are determined by:

1. Duration and nature of development:

temporary;
long-term;
accidentally arising;
specially organized.

2. Capture scale:

global - concerning the whole world;
local - affecting a separate part of the world;
regional - between neighboring countries;
group - between certain groups;
personal - family conflict, dispute with neighbors or friends.

3. The goals of the conflict and methods of resolution:

a violent street fight, an obscene scandal;
fight by the rules, cultural conversation.

4. Number of participants:

personal (occur in mentally ill people);
interpersonal (clash of interests of different people, for example, brother and sister);
intergroup (contradiction in the interests of different social associations);

people of the same level;
people of different social levels, positions;
those and others.

There are many different classifications and divisions that are considered arbitrary. So, the first 3 types of social conflicts can be considered key.

Solving problems causing social conflict

Reconciliation of hostile parties is the main task of the state legislature. It is clear that it is impossible to avoid all conflicts, but it is necessary to try to avoid at least the most serious ones: global, local and regional. Given the types of conflict, social relations between warring parties can be forged in several ways.

Ways to resolve conflict situations:

1. An attempt to get away from the scandal - one of the participants can fence off the conflict, transferring it to a "frozen" state.

2. Conversation - it is necessary to discuss the problem that has arisen and jointly find its solution.

3. Involve a third party.

4. Postpone the dispute for a while. This is most often done when the facts run out. The enemy yields to interests temporarily in order to collect more evidence of his innocence. Most likely, the conflict will resume.

5. Resolution of the conflicts that have arisen through the courts, in accordance with the legislative framework.

To reconcile the parties to the conflict, it is necessary to find out the reason, purpose and interest of the parties. Also important is the mutual desire of the parties to come to a peaceful resolution of the situation that has arisen. Then you can look for ways to overcome the conflict.

Conflict stages

Like any other process, the conflict has certain stages of development. The first stage is considered to be the time immediately before the conflict. It is at this moment that the clash of subjects occurs. Disputes arise due to different opinions about one subject or situation, but at this stage it is possible to prevent the incitement of an immediate conflict.

If one of the parties does not yield to the opponent, then the second stage will follow, which has the character of a debate. Here, each side is furiously trying to prove their case. Due to the great tension, the situation is heating up and after a certain time passes into the stage of direct conflict.

Examples of social conflicts in world history

The main three types of social conflicts can be demonstrated by examples of old events that left an imprint on the life of the population then and influenced modern life.

Thus, the First and Second World Wars are considered one of the most striking and well-known examples of global social conflict. Almost all existing countries took part in this conflict; in history, these events remained the largest military-political clashes of interests. Because the war was fought on three continents and four oceans. Only in this conflict was the most terrible nuclear weapon used.

This is the strongest and most importantly known example of global social conflicts. After all, in it, peoples who were previously considered fraternal fought against each other. More such terrible examples have not been recorded in world history.

Much more information is available directly about interregional and group conflicts. So, during the transition of power to the tsars, the living conditions of the population also changed. Every year, public discontent grew more and more, protests and political tension appeared. People were not satisfied with many moments, without clarification of which it was impossible to strangle the popular uprising. The more in tsarist Russia the authorities tried to crush the interests of the population, the more conflict situations intensified on the part of the dissatisfied residents of the country.

Over time, more and more people became convinced of the infringement of their interests, so the social conflict gained momentum and changed the opinion of others. The more people became disillusioned with the authorities, the closer the mass conflict approached. It was with such actions that most of the civil wars began against the political interests of the country's leadership.

Already during the reign of the tsars, there were prerequisites for the outbreak of social conflicts based on dissatisfaction with political work. It is these situations that confirm the existence of problems that were caused by the dissatisfaction of existing living standards. And it was the social conflict that was the reason to move on, develop and improve policies, laws and government abilities.

Summing up

Social conflicts are an integral part of modern society. The disagreements that arose during the tsarist regime are a necessary part of our current life, because, perhaps, it is thanks to those events that we have the opportunity, maybe not enough, but it is still better to live. It was only thanks to our ancestors that society passed from slavery to democracy.

Today, it is better to take personal and group types of social conflicts as a basis, examples of which are very often encountered in our life. We are faced with contradictions in family life, looking at simple everyday issues from different points of view, we defend our opinion, and all these events seem to be simple, everyday things. That is why social conflict is so multifaceted. Therefore, everything that concerns him, it is necessary to study more and more in detail.

Of course, everyone says that conflict is bad, that you cannot compete and live by your own rules. But, on the other hand, disagreements are not so bad, especially if they are resolved at the initial stages. After all, it is precisely because of the emergence of conflicts that society develops, moves forward and seeks to change the existing order. Even if the result leads to material and moral losses.

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