What is conflict - types, types and causes of conflicts, also 6 ways to resolve them

Updated September 7, 2021 792 Author: Dmitry Petrov
Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. The emergence of situations between people that are generated by hostile thoughts and actions makes many people think.

What is a conflict, what are the conditions for its origin, who can be a participant in it, and are there any methods for resolving it? We will talk about all this in the continuation of this publication. Sit back, let's get started.

What it is?

The word comes from the Latin "conflictus", meaning "collided" . The most common synonyms the word “conflict” include:

1. argument;
2. disagreement;
3. collision;
4. duel;
5. confrontation;
6. battle.

To fully understand, it is first necessary to define this social phenomenon.

So, conflict is a way of resolving contradictions that arise due to inconsistency of judgments, goals, interests, conclusions, conclusions, opinions or views on certain aspects.

This process is characterized by three main features:

1. The essence is the confrontation between two or more subjects.
2. It is accompanied by the release of negative emotions on the part of the participants, as well as actions that may go far beyond the generally accepted rules and norms of behavior.

3. It arises exclusively in the process of social interaction of participants with each other.

Why do conflicts arise between people?

There are only 4 main, global causes of conflicts between people, because of which quarrels and other unpleasant situations constantly appear. All the reasons clearly express the inevitability of conflict situations (at the end of the article, we will tell you how to resolve them correctly).

Incorrect assessment of the surrounding reality

No matter what place, no matter what situation we are in, a person always evaluates the events that happen to him and reacts to them based on his own attitude , his worldview. Therefore, conflicts between people are so popular, because everyone “oppresses” his own line, guided only by his “I” .

Many, mistakenly, put their priorities , ideals, in the first place, forgetting about the opinion of another person, and forcing, ultimately, to do things, actions , active actions, in anything, everything, as it was intended by him, without considering , neither with the opinion , nor with the position of the other people who surround him.

There is a well-known phrase, “how many people, so many opinions,” it clearly reflects the whole essence, the whole individuality of a person, which tells us all that any person has the right to his opinion, to his own views and beliefs, however, for many , this is where it all ends, forgetting that along with “rights”, there are also “ responsibilities ”, since we are all born and raised in society, therefore we are obliged to think not only about our needs and wants, and to do everything as we want, but also take into account the opinions of both those around us and each person personally , of course, if we are in an environment where it is necessary to resolve issues together.

Conflict situations at work

Lack of mutual understanding between people

Our brains are unique, just like the papillary patterns on our fingers and toes. Everyone is born with different abilities , some draw or sew better, some inherited sports genes from their parents, while others are very lucky and inherited a brilliant brain . One way or another, all this distinguishes us by our abilities, but does not characterize a person as a person . Therefore, no abilities from birth or acquired can replace human relations with people.

Very, much depends, not on what a person has become, but how he became one, how he achieved universal respect , money, fame. So we gradually came to the understanding that a person is a social machine that can behave differently, in different situations, to achieve a certain goal .

Lack of mutual understanding in family relationships

The lack of mutual understanding between people is associated, first of all, with a completely different point of view on the world. People who seem to not know each other at all come to a common opinion in a matter of seconds , and all because their views on so many things coincide, a vivid example of this is the instant agreement between criminals that it is worth stealing a phone that is lying without supervision, - thieves instantly come to a common opinion that they need to steal, in turn, respectable citizen will never steal a phone, accordingly, being in the place of the second thief, he will never agree with the first that it is necessary to steal.

Let's take another example, where mutual understanding echoes the effect of the action of the “ crowd ” - the army, the presence of “hazing” has always been and will be, old-timers have both humiliated and continue to humiliate newly accepted recruits , and now imagine how another “spirit” “Grandfathers” in the army are sent for a pack of cigarettes, perhaps among the “grandfathers”, someone deep inside themselves believes that it is impossible to do this to a person, you cannot make him a “ slave ”, but the whole crowd unanimously sends the “spirit” for cigarettes, and the person drowns out his inner voice of “ justice ”, and also begins to force the “spirit” to run for cigarettes. In this example about the army, it is clearly shown how the crowd very quickly comes to a common understanding to achieve a common goal, regardless of the opinion of the recruit.

Crowd effect

Conflict and Dominance

Dominance is the oldest animal instinct that is present in any person. In society, the main dominant is a certain leader in the crowd who dictates to everyone how to act, how to behave, and they, in turn, begin to behave exactly as the dominant wants.

In family relationships, the struggle for dominance is a common thing, which often threatens marriage , the further continuation of relationships, and leads to conflict situations.

The animal instinct to be first, to be the best, to be the strongest , to do what you consider best for yourself, to dictate conditions to others, how and by what rules to live, the most valuable mechanism for survival, but only in a wild environment, and we live in society , therefore, you must always take it into account and suspend your “horses” so as not to aggravate relations with those around you.

Conflict and Dominance

Different views on life

In early childhood, brain connections , the child “absorbs” all the information that revolves around him, draws certain conclusions for himself, gradually forming himself as an individual , therefore, in the early stages of the baby’s development, it is very important for parents to monitor the company in which his child communicates. Such active, cognitive growth does not continue forever for a child , it ends around the age of 12-13 , and the second stage begins, adolescence, or the stage of identifying oneself as an individual, and here one’s own opinion and views on surrounding events begin to appear, therefore, if at the beginning of the child’s development you “missed” upbringing , then in the future it will be very difficult to correct, to guide the teenager on the right path of development if he himself is not aware of it.

Well, the final, initial stage of human development ends around the age of 17 to convince anyone of anything if a young boy (girl) does not agree with your opinion, without the involvement of a psychologist , psychiatrist, a neurologist, and so on, of course, one can argue with this fact, because any belief that a person has can be “pulled out” from the store of knowledge and replaced with another, but this is a completely different article.

So we gradually approached the age when views on life have already been completely formed, that is, the age at which it is actively necessary to interact with others, enter into family/work relationships , the age at which conflicts actively begin to develop, with different views on the surrounding world of reality .

Different views of people on the world around reality

For some, the norm is drunkenness , nicotine, indifference to the poor and animals, deception of people, betrayal, and other dirt that poisons the soul and body of a person. And imagine a person who needs to interact , at work, on a bus, metro, school, or other public place, solving common issues, ranging from giving up a seat on the bus to grandma, ending with who will go first to turn the “nut” in a factory, understandable the thing is, such people will never be friends , and at the first opportunity they will try to avoid each other, but that’s all, because they are completely different, values , and the life they lived, doing different things , it will also be absolutely different.

But life is not a predictable thing, you never know what will happen tomorrow , it can bring completely different people together and force them to mutually resolve issues, and, of course, such people will have a lot of conflict situations when solving common problems, so this is why It is important to learn how to interact with each other correctly, avoiding conflicts, disputes and fights.

What types and types of conflicts exist

Depending on the method of resolution, conflicts are divided into:

1. Compromise . Resolution of conflict situations in this case is carried out by searching for the most suitable compromise for both parties. In this case, one or both parties must benefit from the situation in the form of compensation for moral harm/material damage. Example: for failure to meet the agreed deadlines for delivery of products, the supplier undertakes to reduce prices for its services;
2. Antagonistic . The confrontation is resolved by destroying the structural structures (verbal, behavioral, emotional) of the participant who lost the confrontation. The second option is the party’s refusal to further participate in the fight. Example: winning an election race.

Types of conflicts differ in the area in which they manifest themselves, degree of expression, direction, number of parties, and needs. But first things first.

General conflictology

1.1. The concept of conflict, its types and types

A conflict is a confrontation between two or more parties that are interconnected but pursuing their own goals. Conflicts can arise wherever there is development, both in living and inanimate nature, and accordingly the term “conflict” is used in the analysis of biological, physical and social phenomena.

In accordance with the subject of consideration, we are interested in conflict not just in living nature, but specifically in society. Conflict appears where mutual agreement cannot be reached. If tension arises between the parties that does not have an antagonistic basis, it can be overcome. Even if it is not possible to reach complete agreement on all issues, then quite often the parties do not move to the level of escalation of the conflict. That is, even in this case, tension does not develop into conflict, since a certain agreement promotes a tolerant attitude of the parties towards each other even on issues on which disagreements remain.

Conflict

(from Latin
conflictus
- collision) - the process of development and resolution of inconsistency of goals, states, relationships and actions of people, communities, determined by objective and subjective reasons. Conflict is a manifestation of connections and relationships between people, an individual and a social group, as well as between different groups.

The classification of the main types of conflicts is a theoretical, purely abstract procedure. As G.V. Plekhanov noted at one time, thanks to the process of abstraction, various aspects of the social whole take the form of separate categories, and various manifestations and expressions of human activity turn in our mind into special forces, supposedly causing, conditioning this activity, being its last reasons. Only in theory is it possible to isolate one or another type of conflict relations, and even more so their certain aspects, from a single social whole.

There have been many attempts to create a typology of conflicts. The complexity of typologization from a theoretical point of view is caused by the lack of uniform generally accepted scientific principles and the strong difference in cognitive prerequisites among different authors. From a practical perspective, typology can help in developing specific criteria for intervention in conflict situations. Typology is no less important from the point of view of analyzing the causes of a particular conflict. The organizational and technological complexity in this case is that the classifications already created by well-known and recognized scientists make it difficult to introduce new bases, which will certainly lead to some overlap with the criteria of other authors.

Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor at Salzburg and a number of other European universities, head of the consulting firm TRIGON

(Vienna) Friedrich Glasl outlined the purpose of typologization as follows: “Typology should help us first to outline the main elements of the conflict and roughly localize them, for example, to exclude in advance certain issues and possible actions. By identifying the type, it is possible to decide in advance in which field it is appropriate to carry out an intervention so that it does not cause harm... In most cases, rapid intervention in a conflict situation is required, which brings quick relief or, at least, prevents further spread of harm. But every diagnostic intervention is at the same time an introduction into a conflict situation.”

F. Glasl conventionally divided conflicts into three categories: by the subject of the dispute, by the forms of manifestation, by the properties of the conflicting parties, their positions and mutual relations. In addition, he compiled typologies focused on action and conflict frames.

In this textbook we consider only conflicts that are social in nature.

Social conflict

most scientists interpret it as “the highest stage of development of contradiction in the system of relations between people, social groups, social institutions, and society as a whole, which is characterized by the strengthening of opposing tendencies and interests of social communities and individuals.” These are conflicts between social actors: individuals, groups, organizations. The subject of study of the sociology of conflict can be the causes and dynamics of social conflicts, ways of resolving and preventing them.

The definition of the main types of social conflicts depends on what will be taken as the basis for the classification. A. G. Zdravomyslov considers needs, interests, and values ​​as the driving forces of conflict, cross-analyzing them in the main spheres of life: economics, politics and spiritual life. V.N. Amelin also classifies conflicts according to a cross-sectional scheme, taking as a basis the forms of conflicts (role, administrative, political) and their participants (interpersonal, intergroup, institutional).

N. F. Fedorenko and V. P. Galitsky consider the duration of the flow, the content of the conflict, its object, the force of influence on the participants, the form of manifestation, the source of occurrence, consequences, etc. as signs of typology. O. N. Gromova classifies conflicts “depending on a number of factors: the method of their resolution, the scope of manifestation, the direction of the impact, the degree of expression, the number of participants, the presence of an object of conflict, the needs affected.”

Conflicts in society can be divided simultaneously depending on the interests of the parties involved in the conflict, and on the spheres of society in which they arise and develop. For example, both conflicts that arise in politics and conflicts that arise for political reasons can be called political. Similarly, conflicts developing in the economic sphere of society and those caused by economic reasons are called economic. All conflicts that exist in society are social in nature, because they arise and develop on a social basis - between specific people or their various formalized or informal groups. However, the concept of “social conflict” should be analyzed in a narrower interpretation, considering the social as part of the public sphere along with other areas: economic, political, spiritual and cultural. Let us examine in more detail the main types and types of conflicts that arise in society.

Social conflicts

arise both in the sphere of work and during non-working hours in the process of communication between people and social groups. The authors of the textbook agree with the broadest definition of social conflict given by the already mentioned Friedrich Glasl: “Social conflict is an interaction between parties (individuals, groups, organizations, etc.), in which at least one party is aware of incompatibility in thinking/perception/ perception, and/or in feeling, and/or in will with the other party (other parties) in such a way that in implementation it encounters opposition from the other party (other parties).”

A. Ya. Antsupov and A. I. Shipilov “social conflicts include: interpersonal, between an individual and a group, between small, medium, large social groups, interstate.”

An important role in the analysis of conflicts is played by the question of the motivation of the conflicting parties. Depending on motivation

Researchers identify three blocks of social conflicts:

1) arising in connection with the distribution of power and positions;

2) regarding material resources;

3) regarding the values ​​of the most important life attitudes.

Determining the main types of social conflicts is necessary not to differentiate them in practice according to some special specific characteristics, but in order to take into account as much as possible the reasons for its occurrence and possible options for its development when overcoming a specific conflict. Specific conflicts and their system for a particular social group are a single whole because the active stage of a social conflict is preceded by social tension, which manifests itself primarily at the socio-psychological level. As the conflict situation develops, the state of tension between the parties can change both upward and downward. In every social group, even in societies at a low level of development, a more or less dynamic process of social stratification can be found. Various contradictions appear between the emerging layers, which can cause various conflicts. Conflicts that arise between individual segments of society involve not only economic, but also social interests, such as considerations of prestige. The subject of a separate conflict may be everything that concerns the life of a particular social stratum.

Economic conflicts

represent a certain set of conflicts based on the economic interests of individuals, groups, and organizations. The economic activities of people, especially the production of goods that satisfy multiple needs, influence the development of production relations and certain social structures within which various interests collide. In this interaction of interests one can find the sources of many conflicts that play a significant role in the life of society, which is clearly confirmed by historical material. Economic conflicts arise, for example, in areas related to economic renewal, where there is a struggle for property, various resources, loans, and benefits received from the state. Economic conflicts arise both at the federal, regional and local levels of government.

Political conflicts

— a clash between political actors regarding the distribution of the sphere of political influence. These include, for example, confrontation between political parties, groups, movements, organizations, as well as individual politicians. The existence of such complex social organisms as the state, as well as peoples with their inherent special aspirations and inclinations (the idea of ​​a special “historical mission”, “chosenness”, etc.) creates conditions for the emergence of various political conflicts of an international nature. Thus, in addition to class conflicts of a political nature that occur within states, one can also distinguish various interstate conflicts, which often result from a significant expansion of contradictions between states.

Conflicts in the sphere of culture.

The contact of people representing different cultures gives rise to various conflicts aimed at “containing” foreign cultures that differ in ideals and lifestyles. For example, we can name the conflicts that arise on this basis between residents of cities and villages, between the indigenous population and immigrants, between the old intelligentsia, especially the humanitarian ones, and the new, technical one. Often the initiators of conflicts are marginalized people. The subject of these conflicts are various values, or rather, their recognition by one or another carrier.

In the four areas described, other conflicts appear that are of a public nature and simultaneously cover all spheres of society. For example, these are ideological, national-ethnic, axiological, etc.

Ideological conflicts

can arise both between classes and within the same class, for example, ideological conflicts between believers and non-believers, as well as between separate groups, for example, on a religious, racial, ethnic basis. The subject of such conflicts is the different ideological values ​​of social groups.

Differences that exist between social classes cause class conflicts

, or class struggle, which can manifest itself in economic, political and ideological areas. These are the most important social conflicts among all that take place in class societies, because they determine social development. These conflicts reflect different class interests.

Both in each individual type of conflict in society, and in their intersection, communities of people united on one or another basis can be involved. Thus, conflicts can arise both within national-ethnic formations and between different ethnic groups and/or nations.

National-ethnic conflicts

arise due to differences in language, economic and psychological structure, religion among different peoples and ethnic groups and other reasons. Within family, clan, religious and other associations formed on the basis of common values, so-called axiological conflicts arise.

Axiological conflicts.

Opposing values ​​and goals realized by different social groups (family, clan, religious, etc.) can also be sources of social conflicts. And since in every developed society a person participates in the life of many social groups, he may find himself in a conflict situation arising from the difficulties of coordinating opposing values ​​and goals programmatically implemented by individual groups. Internal conflicts arise between individuals, the subjects of which can be very diverse.

Various types of conflicts that arise in the process of life.

There are a huge number of reasons that cause conflicts; accordingly, many conflicts can be identified. Let us consider the main ones that are most widespread or of greatest importance in society. The most common conflicts that arise during work activities (social and labor conflicts).

Social and labor conflicts

, arising in the sphere of labor activity, represent a confrontation between participants in the labor process (employers and employees, as well as employee(s) with other employee(s)) in the course of performing labor operations and other official duties, i.e. in the process professional activity. Their reasons may be business conditions, a confluence of unfavorable circumstances for the functioning of organizations, problems of labor motivation associated with remuneration, the content and prestige of work, relationships that arise in the process of work between individuals and social groups, structural inconsistencies, dissatisfaction with decisions made, psychological emotional and other features.

Environmental conflicts

appear as a result of divergence of goals and interests of various groups, layers, personalities that arise in the process of life activity that violates the natural environment. Environmental actions of human communities are carried out in opposition to man-made pressure on the environment. The placement and organization of work of an increasing number of people in areas with an artificially created environment (technosphere) increases the potential for conflict in the sphere of relations between man and nature, which requires not only a careful attitude towards nature, but also the constant reproduction of the natural environment.

Organizational-hierarchical (positional) conflicts

are types of conflicts caused by divergence of goals and interests that objectively appear due to the organizational regulation of the life of an individual, the hierarchy of relationships, i.e., the functional assignment of rights and responsibilities to employees and departments of enterprises, organizations, institutions.

Classification of conflicts according to the method of their resolution, degree of expression and communicative orientation, composition, interests of the conflicting parties.

Well-known conflictologist in our country E. A. Utkin divides conflicts according to the method of their resolution

:

• antagonistic - can be resolved only by destroying the structures of all conflicting parties, except one, or by refusing to participate in the conflicts of all parties, except one. This side wins (war to victory, complete defeat of the enemy in the dispute);

• compromise - they allow several options for their resolution due to mutual changes in the goals of the parties to the conflict, terms, and conditions of interaction. For example, the supplier does not deliver the ordered product to the plant on time due to lack of funds for transportation of the goods. The plant has the right to demand compliance with the delivery schedule, but the conditions of the subcontractor have changed. If there is mutual interest, it is possible to reach a compromise: change the delivery time, help with a loan, enter into negotiations.

Antagonistic conflicts are characterized by instability and irreconcilability of the parties, while compromise ones allow for several options for their resolution by bringing together the views and interests of the parties.

According to the severity of the confrontation

conflicts can be open (dispute, quarrel, etc.) and hidden (not manifested externally). Some conflicts can be prepared, pre-planned or provoked, others arise spontaneously. Moreover, the first of them may either have no expediency or turn out to be inevitable and, to a certain extent, natural.

By communication focus

conflicts are divided into vertical, horizontal and mixed. Vertical conflicts (“top-down”, “bottom-up”) - conflicts between workers of different hierarchical levels and influence. Horizontal conflicts involve people who are not subordinate to each other. A mixed conflict is a situation where its participants in some cases are not bound by one or another type of subordination, but in others such subordination arises. Mixed conflicts also include conflicts that have both vertical and horizontal directions. For example, a scientist from one university, who is not subordinate to a scientist from another university, is a member of the dissertation council, which the latter heads. During the period of his duties as a member of the council, he reports to its chairman, and while leading the work of the city duma committee to which both scientists were elected, their roles change.

Conflicts classified according to the composition of the conflicting parties

. These include intrapersonal, interpersonal, intragroup, and intergroup conflicts. Intrapersonal conflicts are a clash of different motives, needs and interests of an individual due to the impossibility of satisfying them at the same time or the need to make a choice between opportunities and desires. Interpersonal conflicts arise between people or when an individual clashes with a group. These conflicts most often involve intimate problems that concern only one of the conflicting parties. Their resolution means ending the confrontation or localizing the contradiction. Intergroup conflicts affect two or more groups or units involved in the conflict. During the period of conflict itself, groups most often manifest themselves as a single whole.

When classifying conflicts, the question of the balance of interests of the parties

. It is customary to distinguish between two types: zero-sum conflict and non-zero-sum conflict. If the interests of the parties to the conflict are completely opposite, i.e., the realization of the interests of one participant means that the interests of the other will not be realized at all, then such conflicts are called zero-sum conflicts. In them, the gain of one side is exactly equal to the loss of the other, and in the end the sum of the gains turns out to be zero. Hence the name “zero-sum conflict.” The most striking examples of situations in which the interests and goals of the parties are opposite, and the result of resolving the contradictions is zero, are sports games: chess, football, tennis, etc. If we are talking about major social, political, international conflicts, then some researchers are inclined believe that civil wars are described by a situation with a sum close to zero. In civil wars, as a rule, the participants either win or lose completely. Similar to these conflicts are conflicts related to territorial disputes or determination of the status of a particular territory.

And yet, for the most part, political, ethnic, and international conflicts are described as non-zero-sum situations. The goals and interests of the parties in them, although contradictory, are not absolutely opposite, i.e., when they are implemented, the final sum will not be equal to zero. These types of conflicts are sometimes called mixed-interest conflicts.

There are conflicts with a negative sum, when there is neither a winner nor a loser. The most striking example here is a hypothetical global nuclear conflict, which cannot end except in the mutual destruction of all parties.

There are as many conflicts as there are us, and even more, since most people are somehow involved in a number of conflicts at the same time. A person, when involved in a conflict situation, introduces new features into it. The types and manifestations of conflicts are diverse, as are the forms of organizing the life of society.

Classification of conflicts taking into account motivation, perception of the situation, environment of manifestation.

Taking into account the motivation of the conflict and subjective perceptions of the situation

There are three types of conflicts:

1. False conflict - the subject perceives the situation as a conflict, although there are no real reasons.

2. Potential conflict - there are real grounds for a conflict to arise, but so far one of the parties or both, for one reason or another (for example, due to lack of information), has not yet recognized the situation as a conflict.

3. True conflict is a real clash between the parties. In turn, true conflict can be divided into:

• constructive - arising on the basis of really existing contradictions between subjects;

• accidental - arising from a misunderstanding or coincidence;

• displaced - arising on a false basis, when the true cause is hidden. For example, a student, dissatisfied with a low assessment of his knowledge, looks for any reason to enter into confrontation with the examining teacher;

• an incorrectly attributed conflict is a conflict in which the true culprit, the subject of the conflict, is “behind the scenes” of the confrontation, and the conflict involves participants who are not related to it. For example, a person is accused of a crime that he did not commit. Of course, the above classifications, like any attempt to dissect social phenomena, are conditional. In real life, everything is interconnected. Conflicts in the world of work may arise due to national reasons or due to different political positions. Confrontation between different individuals in the family and everyday sphere, in ideological and interethnic relations is often due to different levels of culture, the degree of assimilation and acceptance of generally valid norms and traditions. In the newly independent states that formerly made up the USSR, all social conflicts, as a rule, have a political overtones. Society seemed to be divided into several militant subsystems, depending on the attitude towards the past of the country and its leaders, towards the current situation and direction of social development. Analysis and assessment of conflicts, development of measures to resolve them require their classification not only by the nature of their occurrence, but also on other significant grounds. All of the above types of conflicts can occur in territories of different size and location, have different scales (local, general) and duration (short-term, medium-term, long-term, or, in other words, protracted), involve different numbers of people and groups in the process of confrontation, arise for objective and subjective reasons (outside the will and desires of the participants or because of the deliberate aspirations of a particular subject of social relations).

In the literature one can find classification on other grounds, and within each type of conflict further classification is also possible. The task of the discipline being studied does not include a detailed examination of all types of conflicts, but only consideration of those that mainly affect social development, social mobility, social and social-labor relations, and social management.

The variety of types and types of conflicts is determined by the very structure of the social elements of society that interact and, in certain cases, find themselves in a conflict situation.

Of great importance when analyzing social conflicts and determining their main types is the question of their social consequences, that is, the impact of conflicts on the environment where they occur. According to this criterion, conflicts can be divided into successful and unsuccessful. The first includes conflicts, as a result of which the goals of all parties are achieved to some extent. A conflict is called unsuccessful when at least one of the parties exceeds the permissible “price” for victory. Depending on the social environment of manifestation

Stuart Chase back in the early 50s. last century identified the following types of conflicts:

• individual quarrels occurring between husband and wife, servant and master, etc.;

• conflicts between families;

• confrontation between clans and similar communities;

• disputes between different communities: villages, cities, etc.;

• disputes between regions (eg northern and southern regions in many countries);

• conflicts between employees and managers of enterprises - disputes may take place here between different categories of workers and managers at different levels;

• electoral struggle between political parties;

• racial conflicts, for example between whites and blacks;

• religious conflicts, for example, between Protestants and Catholics;

• anti-Semitism as a manifestation of antagonisms arising from religious, cultural and racial aspects;

• ideological struggle that arises between representatives of different ideologies;

• disputes between professional groups: between workers and technicians, between engineers and technicians;

• competition within one industry, for example, among textile and automobile manufacturers;

• competition within different industries, for example, between oil producers and automakers;

• rivalry between individual nations, which can take place in different areas: struggle for markets, spheres of influence, rivalry in the field of weapons, sports, etc.;

• conflicts between different cultures, for example, between the culture of different regions, the culture of the city and the countryside;

• cold war, carried out without weapons as opposed to conventional war;

• the struggle between East and West or North (developed capitalist countries) and South (third world countries).

Scope of conflict situations

The most common types of conflicts based on the nature of their manifestation include:

1. organized (a hierarchical structure is provided, the responsibilities and rights of the parties are clearly regulated);
2. economic (based on contradictions of an economic nature, the struggle for resources, discounts, rights, benefits);
3. social conflict (confrontation between individual subjects, groups or communities of people, taking into account the preliminary strengthening of their interests regarding the dispute);
4. political (characterized by the use of appropriate tools of struggle, which presupposes victory in the political sphere).

Structure

The structure of all conflict situations includes:

1. A subject (object) that provokes the development of a dispute. This can be either a thing or a person, thoughts, ideas in which the participants in the conflict are interested.
2. Subjects of the situation. They can be groups, organizations, individuals.
3. The conditions under which the conflict occurs. For example: work environment, family disputes, and so on.
4. The scale of the situation: global, interpersonal, regional, localized.
5. Behavioral characteristics and tactics of the conflicting parties.
6. The result is an understanding of the result of the conflict, its consequences.

Types of conflicts by severity

1. Hidden collisions. Occurs when a demonstration of aggression and any similar actions are hidden from the public and those involved in the confrontation. The conflict is indirect.
2. Open clashes. The struggle is clearly expressed and can be observed and assessed. Example: controversy, controversy, discord, quarrel, scandal, showdown with insults.

About the weather

— If you want to prevent a conflict, but your interlocutor persistently strives for it and drags him into it, aggressively offering to discuss something that you do not want to discuss?

— If a person “draws you into a conflict,” it means that he is trying to hurt some emotional part of you. The emotional state is contagious, and if someone shouts or accuses, we tend to succumb to it and respond in the same spirit. And moreover, the closer a person is to you, the more likely it is that you will become infected with it. That’s why it’s so easy to start a quarrel with your own mother and very easy to resist a conflict with some woman on the street.

In order not to succumb to emotions, it is very important to step back internally and try to look at everything simply as some kind of objective phenomenon, like the weather outside the window.

Here, a person tells you something unpleasant, trying to provoke a conflict. But if you think about it, it’s because he himself has problems. It’s like a person has ARVI, and therefore the temperature has risen, he coughs and sneezes.

If you treat this as a natural phenomenon, and do not try to set a person on the right path, explain how everything really is, you can quite calmly listen to it all, say: “Yes, yes! Wow!”, without actually answering anything. If you don’t answer anything, any person, having quarreled and shouted, will dry up in 10 minutes.

- What to do if two people in conflict are trying to drag you into the conflict - to their side?

— When two people are looking for support from a third, it is very important not to let yourself be drawn into the conflict if you don’t want to ruin the relationship with one of the parties.

When parents argue, a conflict of loyalty arises in the child, because even if mom and dad are antisocial alcoholics, the child loves them and sees them with completely different eyes. For a child, being involved in a conflict between himself is a trap that is fraught with pathology in adulthood.

And we are adults, we can leave the scene of events, and we also understand what is happening and can say about it. Therefore, we say, for example, to a friend: “Dear Masha, you and Katya, (with Petya, and so on) are both very dear to me, and now it’s very difficult for me to see what’s happening, I really sympathize with you, but I don’t really know what do". And we do not enter into conflict.

— What to do when you are one of the conflicting parties, and your opponent, for example, a colleague, is trying to attract someone else to his side?

— If your opponent begins to seek support and create a coalition, it means that perhaps his position against yours does not seem so strong to him.

But during a storm, sailors must remove the sails and try to sail away from the storm's turbulence zone. It is wrong to try to respond in kind: since you have drawn these people into conflict, we will now call others. This will only lead to an escalation of the conflict. So, I repeat, you just need to “remove the sails.”

Types of conflict orientation

1. Horizontal conflict. Disagreements arise between parties who are equal in status: social, professional, material, etc. A prerequisite is that subjects are endowed with an equal amount of power.
2. Vertical conflict is typical for parties that have differences in status. Example: a quarrel between a subordinate and a manager, employees of a subsidiary and parent enterprise.

The main “symptoms” of the development of a conflict situation in the family

The first signs of conflict often remain hidden until the peak moment. How do you understand that it is necessary to make any efforts to prevent a conflict situation?

No confrontation arises without reason. The concept of conflict implies the presence of certain prerequisites: frequent disputes, misunderstanding, silence and inability to properly build a dialogue. Example: a spouse returned from work upset and in need of support. And his wife, in turn, thought that he was tired and did not “bother” him with conversations, although now he simply needed dialogue with her. Gradually, omissions are layered on top of each other, and an invisible gap arises between the partners, and later signs of conflict appear:

• Tension in communication.
• A sharp reaction to any irritant.
• Attempts to call a partner to talk end with him withdrawing into himself.
• Detachment from what is happening around.

As a result, due to issues not resolved in a timely manner, a conflict situation arises in the family, for the successful resolution of which both parties must make every effort.

Number of conflicting parties

1. Intergroup . A confrontation between two groups, each of which includes participants in the conflict, united by some characteristic/signs.
2. Interpersonal . A clash of interests between two entities or between a group of people and one entity.
3. Intrapersonal . Confrontation of internal values ​​and motives at the personal level. There are no parties, there is only one subject who is faced with the problem of choice regarding making this or that decision.

How to resolve conflict between people

Competent resolution of conflict situations in the family, at work, at various public events becomes a priority task not only for law enforcement officers, but also for employers and parents .

Without understanding the causes of conflict situations, it is impossible adequately respond and resolve complex disputes that arise between people. Therefore, if you did not understand something from what you read above, we recommend that you re-read the material above (reasons for conflicts).

Resolving conflicts competently means coming to a common denominator without losses, in other words, resolving conflicts is expressed in the following:

• to find a compromise
• come to a consensus
• give in to another
• understand the opposing side

These are the four options for resolving conflicts that sensibly reflect the essence of resolving conflict situations. Let's talk about each option in a little more detail.

Conflict resolution in the workplace

How to find a compromise in a relationship?

Finding a compromise means coming to conditions that would suit both the first and second parties. It is very relevant both when solving problems in business and in relationships with the opposite sex.

Your task, without infringing on your interests, is to agree to conditions that would be beneficial to both parties. It’s not difficult to do this, if any problem arises, weigh all the pros and cons, decide what is most important , saving your marriage or being divorced, paying a security guard or being robbed at night, and so on, set your priorities , and then you will look more clearly and soberly at how to find a compromise solution.

Compromise in conflict resolution

How to come to a common opinion?

Finding a common opinion is not an easy task, when serious disputes arise regarding something, at this moment the main manifestation of restraint is not to give in to emotions , which are often the culprits of all our troubles.

A competent presentation of the material and your thoughts often helps resolve the conflict. Very often, the interlocutor does not understand what we are talking about, or rather, he understands, but not at all what you meant; this is relevant when solving family and everyday problems.

Another good piece of advice that helps people find a common opinion and solution in a conflict situation is round table dialogue If you cannot come to an agreement with your significant other on the street, come home and discuss the issues that interest you in a calm atmosphere, without “extra ears.”

How to reach a common opinion when resolving conflicts

How to learn to give in to each other

It is simply necessary to give in to each other when it comes to family relationships; without understanding this important thing, your marriage will simply fall apart . But not only in marriage is it necessary to give in at the right time/moment to save the family, but also in many other situations, ranging from business to a fight.

Business implies interaction with others, competitors, partners, and for its successful continuation, you need to learn to give in , perhaps, somewhere to shrink in something, so that your business will prosper in the future. With experience in doing business, comes an understanding of who needs to yield.

Very often, concessions border on humiliation of your own dignity, especially if your self-esteem is high, therefore, wise person should know this line, crossing which has nothing to do with the adequate continuation of business/relationships/communication.

Well, for those who still don’t understand where this line is, we’ll give you simple advice, everything should be fair : if it’s a business, then 50% to one, 50% to another, family relationships : I invest in you exactly as much as you invest in me, and this means that not only a man/woman must take, but also give equally.

How to learn to give in to each other in a relationship

When resolving various conflict situations that can end in a fight , beatings, so as not to look like a coward , it is necessary, first of all, to always remain in a clear mind and sober memory, to adequately assess the situation, if the situation is extreme, and there is no way to avoid the use of firearms cold steel , then always hit first, try to incapacitate the person, in this case the emotional component can save your life, in all other cases that do not require vital decisions , you need to think, evaluate the situation and draw the appropriate conclusion, one mistake can bring you to jail, always remember this, sometimes a competent dialogue helps resolve a conflict, but if you see that in front of you is an insane, inadequate person, it is better to give in to him, life is the most valuable thing we have.

How to learn to understand other people?

Learning to understand another person is the highest skill that not everyone has. However, to understand does not mean to forgive or approve of an action, and vice versa, so the word understand , it is multifaceted, has a lot of philosophical implications, and therefore it can be very difficult to understand another, but if a person wants to, he will understand, and for this you need to learn to be in " in the skin " of another.

Try to imagine yourself in the place of the person you want to understand, and answer the questions : what would you do in this situation?, could you find a way out of it?

How to find mutual understanding between people

If you are confident in your answers, then do the appropriate actions and deeds, for example, betrayal , forgiving betrayal does not mean showing a strong sense of character , on the contrary, it means that you are a weak-willed person who is afraid to be left alone . Therefore, just like with the concept of “giving in to another,” the concept of “understanding another” is not unambiguous and requires an individual approach.

In a dispute truth society would not exist , conflicts help, move to a new format of communication, transfer relationships to a higher or lower level, understand the essence of another person, so treat everything more simply, and live with dignity.

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Causes of conflicts

The specific nature of the emergence of conflicts may be based on all sorts of reasons. The most characteristic ones include :

1. discrepancy between reality and personal concepts, ideas about something;

2. untimely receipt of information, its inaccuracy and discrepancy with reality;
3. logical errors, understatement, misunderstanding, misunderstandings in the communication process;
4. inconsistencies between people’s words and actions, unjustified expectations. Example: a man assumed that his friend would come to the meeting on time, as promised, but this did not happen;
5. social inequality of people;
6. the opposition of values, interests, concepts, aspirations and perceptions of the surrounding reality.

Conflict behavior test

The test you are about to take is our interpretation of the Thomas Personality Inventory. This test is designed to study personal predisposition to conflict behavior and identify certain styles of resolving a conflict situation, which you will read about in the interpretation for this test.

To correctly interpret the answers, you should follow several rules when taking the test:

• For each question, choose the statement that is most suitable for describing your behavior in conflict situations.
• Answer as honestly as possible, only what is true for you, do not try to impress others.
• The test data will be recorded after you answer the last question and see confirmation of the end of the test. If you finish the test before the last question and close the page, the data will not be saved.
• The test can be taken any number of times, but remember that only the last one is saved.

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