The concept of conflict, types, causes, solution

Often in our life there are conflicts - between friends, acquaintances, relatives, colleagues and loved ones. The soil can be very diverse - from the disagreement of interests to interracial hostility. The concept of conflict will be discussed in detail in our review. We will also talk about the main causes of its manifestation, the need for its presence in everyday life, the rules of conduct during a conflict situation, and ways to solve it.

Concept of conflict

A conflict situation is a clash on the basis of misunderstanding, rejection of other people's ideas, values ​​and thoughts, arising between people, society, individual states. Previously it was believed that this should be avoided, try to find a compromise in everything, but modern psychology refutes this statement. Today, various kinds of collisions are not considered as purely negative, since, according to numerous studies, the conflict helps individuals and groups to develop, thanks to him, a person gains experience in communication.

The essence of situations of this kind is to uphold the point of view and one's own competitiveness. Faced with misunderstanding, injustice, a person gets involved in a conflict.

Structure

The structure of all conflict situations includes:

1. The subject (object) that provokes the development of the dispute. It can be both a thing and a person, thoughts, ideas in which the parties to the conflict are interested.
2. The subjects of the situation. They can be groups, organizations, individuals.
3. The conditions in which the conflict proceeds. 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 behavior of conflicting parties.
6. The result is an understanding of the result of the conflict, its consequences.

Types and types of conflict situations in the business environment

The most common are conflicts of interest in organized groups, namely in workers' groups, among teachers in schools, in organizations assembled from individuals of different ethnicities. In this case, these types of conflicts are considered:

• Intrapersonal. It is formed in connection with the dissatisfaction of an individual with the requirements for his activities. That is, if a person is forced to do something against his will, or if the fulfillment of the task is contrary to the principles and values ​​of the individual, an intrapersonal conflict situation arises.
• Interpersonal. Most often in groups, it is precisely interpersonal conflicts that arise. Their manifestation is directly related to the lack of any resources for achieving the goals, the desire to "curry favor" with the bosses (higher posts), as well as with the character traits of each group member. Basically, “friction” in the team arises in connection with the cardinal dissimilarity of individuals, the difference in their worldview and different temperaments.
• Between a person and a group. The occurrence of a conflict of this kind is determined by upholding the opinion of one individual in front of the group. That is, a person who does not agree with the majority opinion is trying to defend his idea, while creating a conflict situation.
• Intergroup. Any team consists of at least 2 groups: formal and informal, between which conflicts periodically arise. Basically, the basis for this is the unfair attitude of the authorities to the informal group, rallying to protect and defend their interests.
• Managerial. Develops during the work process, in the distribution of resources. Management conflict arises in connection with the mismatch of the temperament of subordinates, the divergence of values ​​and goals.

The most common types of conflicts

More often than others, in everyday life and everyday activities of a person there are interpersonal, intrapersonal clashes, as well as clashes between a group and an individual. An example of a conflict between two people can be found in any class of school, team, family:

• Failure to accept a new group member according to external criteria. For example, a student came to the class who did not correspond to the group's concepts of appearance, they did not notice him, they repel him, they did not call him to participate in joint games and discussions. There is a conflict between the group and the individual.
• The dispute over parenting is an interpersonal conflict.
• The order of the authorities to increase working hours for a particular specialist. This is fraught with the emergence of an intrapersonal conflict situation.

Characters

Participants in a conflict are parties directly involved in the formation and completion of a conflict of interest. There are 2 types of actors: indirect and direct participants in the conflict.

Indirect ones include:

• Provocateur. A person (state, group, society), provoking another person to a collision, while in some cases not taking part in the conflict situation itself.
• Ally provocateur, or "support group." A person assisting (material, moral) in the development of a collision.
• The organizer (creator) of the conflict.
• Judge (mediator, mediator). A person who is a third party in a conflict situation.

Direct ones include:

• Instigator. Sometimes it is a provocateur.
• Subject.
• Parties to the clash.

Causes of occurrence

Sources of conflict are unfavorable conditions, a combination of circumstances, personal qualities of individuals that provoke the development of a collision. Of all the sources, it is more common: unstable financial situation, lack of resources, character traits and excessive emotionality of a person, as well as features of his mental development, values, morality, and personality ethics.

The family as one of the small groups where conflict situations periodically occur

Family conflicts are some of the most common. According to statistics, almost every family member has to deal with misunderstanding on the part of one of his close relatives. The causes of conflict in this group of individuals are:

• Strong differences in the character and temperament of both spouses and children, relatives.
• Everyday problems. In most cases, couples have a conflict situation brewing precisely because of a lack of funds.
• Unjustified expectations. The clash arises in connection with the unjustified hopes placed on the marriage of one of the spouses.
• Dissatisfaction with sexual life.
• Treason. Due to dissatisfaction with sex, often one of the spouses (less often both) begins to look for warmth and affection on the side. As a result, the development of a conflict situation leading to a break. However, some are trying to add "piquancy" to the relationship, thereby saving them.
• Lack of personal space. Most couples constantly spend time together, without having the opportunity to retire, which leads to the "conquest" of certain areas of the house.
• Jealousy, a keen sense of ownership. Some types of people tend to over-patronize their partner, limiting his communication with the opposite sex, while constantly suspecting the spouse of non-existent betrayals. An example of a conflict, the development of which is due to jealousy: one of the spouses constantly read the personal correspondence of his partner, when the latter saw this, a scandal broke out.
• Abuse of one of the partners of alcohol and drugs, smoking.
• Different views on the educational process. If the family has children, then often a conflict can arise in connection with the discontent of one of the parents about their upbringing by the other.

The main "symptoms" of the development of a conflict situation in the family

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

Not a single confrontation arises without reason. The concept of conflict implies the presence of certain prerequisites: frequent disputes, misunderstanding, silence and inability to build a dialogue correctly. Example: a spouse returned from work upset, in need of support. And the wife, in turn, thought that he was tired and did not "get it" with his conversations, although now he just needs a dialogue with her. Gradually, omissions are overlapping, and an invisible abyss arises between partners, and later signs of conflict appear:

• Tension in communication.
• A sharp reaction to any irritant.
• Attempts to summon a partner to a conversation end with his withdrawal into himself.
• Detachment from what is happening around.

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

Human Behavior During Conflict

You should know what should be the behavior in the conflict. This will prevent mistakes during forced conflicts of interest, as well as affect the opponent (the initiator or the other side of the conflict). In psychology, the following behaviors of an individual in a conflict situation are distinguished:

1. Evasive (passive). Used both on a subconscious level and consciously. Features of conflicts in which this variant of behavior is used: the opponent does not defend his interests and the interests of the group, he is not able to defend himself, while he tries to avoid further development of the conflict. Experts do not recommend resorting to the frequent use of passive behavior, as this can lead to a decrease in self-esteem of the person. Its use is justified only in those situations where a person, due to avoiding a collision, can achieve success, increase.
2. Compliant, opportunistic. This form of behavior allows you to survive conflicts in relationships without resorting to complete confrontation. That is, when one of the opponents gives way to another participant in something else during the conflict, this allows you to maintain relations at the same level, relieve tension and quickly, without loss, close the dispute. However, compliance in a conflict situation does not make it possible to fully defend one’s opinion and achieve what one wants.
3. Dominant (overwhelming). A person who chooses to dominate the conflict, firmly defends his point of view, regardless of the wishes and needs of the other side. Thanks to which he easily inclines the opponent to retreat, forcing him to make concessions. Advantages of this manner of behavior: quick achievement of the desired goal, stimulation of personal growth. Cons: in connection with the constant use of dominance, a person for others becomes a conflict person, while his mental powers are significantly expended, which can lead to extreme stress.
4. Compromise. This behavior option allows you to resolve the conflict with partial satisfaction of the needs of both parties. But nevertheless, its frequent use cannot guarantee the absence of a repetition of the conflict situation, as the wishes of the opponents are not fully satisfied, which can cause a new “wave” of clashes.
5. Integration (cooperation). It is an interaction of both parties in resolving the current situation.Such behavior is possible only with a full analysis of what the concept of conflict is and the desire of opponents to achieve what they want without significant losses, taking into account their interests.

The effect of conflict on humans

How exactly a particular conflict situation affects an individual depends on several factors:

• The goal and the desired result.
• Significance of the conflict for both participants.
• Variant of behavior chosen by the participant in the conflict of interest.

Each of the above factors is strongly associated with the next, and only their combination can show how the conflict problem affects the individual. For example, a person has set for himself a task (goal), the implementation of which is especially important for him, while his opponent this goal is absolutely indifferent. As a result, with the dominant mode of behavior chosen by the opponent, a person will not be able to achieve the desired, acutely experiencing his failure.

What can not be done during the settlement

It is worth remembering that excessive emotionality can only exacerbate the current situation, and calm and coldness in the voice will allow you to quickly resolve the conflict. To resolve any conflict, restraint and respect for the opponent, no matter what side he shows himself, are necessary. It is important to know that the negative in response to the negative can escalate the psychological conflict and make it practically unsolvable without additional help.

The conflict situation requires a special approach, its resolution should be brought to an end, otherwise it may arise again.

Basic rules for positive resolution

1. You need to be able to listen to your opponent and take into account his desires.
2. Do not use intimidation in resolving a dispute.
3. Total control over your own emotions is needed.
4. A properly set dialogue facilitates a quick transition to consensus.
5. Understanding that each person solves problems in his own way helps to resolve the conflict.

How to overcome a conflict situation in the family

The group most affected by the negative effects of conflict is the family. There are three ways to prevent and resolve conflicts of interest in family relationships. These include: destructive (destroying marriage), permanent (state of the family at the present time), constructive (conducive to rapid recovery).

The structure of family relations during a conflict involves 2 types of behavior:

• Rivalry. One of the spouses (sometimes both) puts their desires and goals above family values. Such selfish behavior contributes to an even greater escalation of the conflict and complicates its resolution.
• Cooperation. Here the interests of each family member are taken into account, which helps to quickly and painlessly eliminate the conflict situation.

In any existing family confrontation, each of the partners should strive for its solution, in which both conflicting parties win (gain-win). The result, where one of the opponents loses, may provoke a new conflict, aggravated by restrained pride and the previous fiasco of the partner.

The resolution for the conflict is a direct conversation-explanation, where everyone can speak calmly about a particular problem. In addition, the flexibility of both partners may be another way to solve this.

Points to help combat conflict:

1. Supporting self-esteem without infringing it on a partner.
2. Demonstration of gratitude and respect for the spouse.
3. Containment of negative emotions.
4. Lack of reminders about mistakes made by the partner from the past.
5. Deterrence of jealousy, suspiciousness, elimination of possible thoughts about cheating spouse.
6. Patience, accepting a person as he is.
7. Transferring the conversation in another direction, in order to exclude the possibility of an increase in the conflict situation.

To prevent family conflicts helps a joint pastime of spouses, communication on abstract topics.The more and more often partners can talk, the stronger their family’s defense against conflict. Do not put pressure on a person, try to re-educate him - this will be a big mistake, since each person is individual and has the right to uphold his personality in any situation.