Psychology of conflict: what it is, concept, types, structure, functions, causes, methods of resolution

The definition of a conflict, the causes of its occurrence, why it is needed, how it develops and what to do to resolve it - these phenomena are studied by the psychology of conflict. Studying its basics not only helps to get out of confrontation with minimal psycho-emotional losses, but also teaches you to avoid or prevent disagreements.

The concept of conflict in psychology

Conflict is understood as a confrontation between two or more opponents who have different points of view on some situation. Conflict (conflictus) from Latin - clash. The concept of conflict in psychology implies a clash of interests, differences of opinion, and opposition in achieving goals. A person’s entire life is spent resolving these disputes. Charles Lixon in his book Conflict. Seven Steps to Peace” noted with a bit of sarcasm: if there is no conflict in your life, check your pulse. The psychology of conflict confirms that disagreements between people occur constantly and are an integral part of their existence. Is this so bad? Let’s try to figure it out. Conflict is the opposition of desires; successful resolution of a tense situation will benefit the conflicting parties; in the psychology of a dispute, you need to feel the line at which the clarification of relationships occurs in a creative way. Violation of this boundary has a negative impact on both sides of the confrontation.

The structure of conflict in psychology includes:

object (what the dispute was about);
subjects (those between whom disagreements have arisen - individuals, groups or organizations);
flow conditions;
scale;
strategy and tactics of behavior of the subjects of the situation;
the final stage of the conflict (resolved, unresolved).

Forms of ending the conflict

The conflict can be resolved, settled, extinguished, eliminated or transformed into another conflict.

Permission

It occurs under the condition that the participants are committed to completely solving the problem and eliminating opposition. It takes place in several stages:

Identification of conflicting parties.
Identifying the personal characteristics, motives, goals and interests of each of them.
Identifying the true cause.
Determining the intentions of the parties and their understanding of the situation.
Collection of opinions of persons not directly involved in the conflict, but interested in its successful resolution.
Choosing the optimal strategy for resolving the conflict. When choosing, it is important to take into account the nature of the reason, the characteristics of the participants, and the focus on improving relationships.

Settlement

It assumes the involvement of an independent third party in the process of ending the conflict. At the same time, it is important for him to be as impartial as possible. As a result of the settlement, it is possible to increase the trust of the parties, establish direct contact between them, organize a joint calm discussion, and act in the interests of resolving the conflict. The process also occurs in several stages:

Finding out the causes, not the causes, of the conflict.
Determining the authority of the third party.
Finding out the motives of the conflicting parties (why they are in conflict).

Attenuation

It involves the transition of an open conflict to a hidden one, that is, it is the cessation of opposition, but the preservation of tension. The conflict may fade due to:

exhaustion of the parties;
loss of motive, significance of the object;
abstraction of the parties (other problems arose, the conflict faded into the background).

Elimination

It involves eliminating a conflict situation (conditions, social situation predisposing to conflict) and an incident (actions of opponents). For example, an employee may be transferred to another workshop.

Transformation

In the process of interaction, the motives and interests of the parties change, which gives rise to a new object of conflict. Sometimes transformation appears against the backdrop of an incompletely resolved conflict.

Causes of conflict situations

The most common prerequisites for the development of conflict:

The root cause of discord may be banal dissatisfaction with something or someone. The situation worsens when hostility is cumulative. A person rams displeasure into himself, then breaks down and splashes out all the negativity. Usually in such a situation, emotions take precedence over reason.
Self-doubt is another reason for the psychology of conflict. This is the seed of internal disagreement that does not allow a person to prove himself as a self-sufficient person. Sometimes this condition leads to depression.
Another reason for the emergence of irreconcilable differences is the infringement of other people’s interests, which aggravate the situation by public clashes. Such disputes are common in society, especially in small groups.

Types of intrapersonal conflicts

K. Levin proposed a classification of internal confrontation by type. He identified 4 types, namely equivalent (first type), vital (second), ambivalent (third) and frustrating (fourth).

Equivalent type - confrontation arises when the subject needs to perform two or more functions that are significant to him. Here, the usual model for resolving a contradiction will be a compromise, that is, partial substitution.

A vital type of conflict is observed when a subject has to make decisions that are equally unattractive to him.

Ambivalent type - clash appears when similar actions and results equally seduce and repel.

Frustrating type. Features of an intrapersonal conflict of a frustrating type are disapproval by society, divergence from accepted norms and foundations, the desired result and, accordingly, the actions necessary to achieve what is desired.

In addition to the above systematization, there is a classification, the basis of which is the value-motivational sphere of the individual.

A motivational conflict occurs when two equally positive tendencies and unconscious aspirations come into conflict. An example of this type of confrontation is “Buridan’s donkey.”

Moral contradiction or normative conflict arises from discrepancies between aspirations and duty, personal attachments and moral attitudes.

The collision of an individual’s desires with reality, which blocks their satisfaction, provokes the emergence of a conflict of unfulfilled desires. For example, it appears when a subject, due to physical imperfection, cannot fulfill his desire.

Role intrapersonal conflict is anxiety caused by the inability to simultaneously “play” several roles. It also occurs as a result of discrepancies in understanding the requirements for the implementation of one role by an individual.

An adaptation conflict is characterized by the presence of two meanings: in a broad sense, it is a contradiction caused by an imbalance between the individual and the surrounding reality; in a narrow sense, it is a collision caused by a violation of the social or professional adaptation process.

The conflict of inadequate self-esteem arises as a result of the discrepancy between personal aspirations and assessment of one’s own potential.

Types of conflicts in psychology

For a deeper study of the essence of the confrontation, it is customary to divide it into categories. Types of conflicts in psychology are distinguished based on the following factors:

what preceded the discord;
what is the scale of the confrontation;
tactics chosen by the conflicting parties;
are there social consequences;
in what form the confrontation takes place.

There is a distinction between internal, in which there is a confrontation between the desires of an individual, and external, in which there is a contradiction between a person and surrounding factors. The external collision also has its own structure and consists of:

interpersonal disagreements;
intergroup conflicts;
occurring between a group and an individual.

Interpersonal disagreements are the most common type of showdown when different interests of subjects are affected. Intergroup collisions occur in areas where there is an accumulation of a group of people engaged in a common cause (work, college, school). Confrontation between the individual and the group is characteristic of the business sphere, in which the needs of the organization oppose the interests of an individual.

The psychology of conflict distinguishes between family and adolescent conflicts. A separate line is the clash of generations - the confrontation between fathers and sons.

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When the conflict is considered intractable and unmanageable

A conflict is considered intractable when:

participants perceive it as a struggle;
participants consider the interests of the parties to be mutually exclusive;
the participants initially have different values or interpretations of the conflict, which is what causes disagreements;
The parties are social institutions (for example, family and school).

A conflict is considered unmanageable when:

the parties are determined to maintain the conflict;
constructive interaction is impossible due to the emotional intensity or characteristics of the participants;
the conflict that has arisen is part of the subjects’ broad rejection of each other.

Functions of conflict in psychology

The lack of skill in preventing confrontation or properly resolving it leads to a situation where the clash is destructive and can drag on for a long time. If the situation is under control, then the confrontation leads to the development of relations between the conflicting parties or completely solves the problem.

Confrontation can be creative when the conflict process involves maintaining interaction within the framework of cooperation or competition. When confrontation goes beyond the boundaries of civilized relations, such conflict has a destructive effect. Based on this, the functions of conflict in psychology are divided into constructive and destructive.

Design features:

the emergence of understanding between the conflicting parties;
establishing communication and information links;
desire for social change;
participation in maintaining harmony;
reassessment of values and established norms;
manifestation of loyalty to the members of the conflict.

Destructive functions:

dissatisfaction and irritation;
disruption of communication links;
decreased level of cooperation;
senseless rivalry;
seeing the opposing side as an enemy;
perception of your goals as the only possible ones;
refusal to interact;
a hostile attitude that develops into mutual hostility;
incorrect placement of emphasis: victory in the confrontation is more important than resolving the dispute;
violent methods of resolving problem situations.

It is not always possible to draw a clear line between constructive and destructive functions, since the bulk of confrontations are characterized by the presence of positive and negative functions simultaneously.

Personal causes of conflicts

During interaction with the world around us, we react to it according to given configurations of the psyche - vectors that determine our worldview and attitude. Some of us are looking for changes, craving wealth and material superiority, others cannot imagine life without family, children, a comfortable home and the respect of colleagues, others are completely devoted to the search for love and vivid impressions, others are immersed in the depths of their “I” and do not notice how winter summer changes, and day turns into night.

Through our value systems, we try to distinguish other people, seeing in them “ourselves” and “not ourselves”: if “ourselves”, then we justify, we see a kindred spirit, and if “not ourselves”, we blame. These processes occur unconsciously. And until we reveal the psyche of other people (vectors), we are not able to understand who is really in front of us, how our neighbor on the landing lives, what our best friend is silent about, what heights the boss strives for, what he dreams of wife.

We also choose a profession by touch, find a job, and a place to live. It’s rare that someone manages to follow their heart and realize themselves in the world, in society, in the family. An unfulfilled person is more unhappy, depressed, and anxious than happy. Our states impose shades on the perception of the world, and we already see in every person an enemy on whom we are ready to relieve tension so that it becomes at least a little easier.

The training “System-vector psychology” by Yuri Burlan makes it possible to improve the level of social adaptation, increase psychological stability, see other people as they are, and not raise expectations. We learn to understand ourselves, to objectively see our strengths and weaknesses, our potential. We have nothing else to argue about, we don’t need to prove anything, we don’t want to get involved in gossip. We just know who we are, understand the people around us and realize where we are going.

“...I analyze everyone with whom I communicate by vectors. This helps me build relationships with people, avoid conflicts through understanding who is in front of me and what his basic values and needs are...”

“...I began to understand others much better, the reasons for their actions, and stopped being offended on every occasion... Resentments and “chewing” on them are what poisoned my life for many years. Miraculously, people with whom I had serious conflicts reached out to me. We sincerely reached out. I saw in their eyes a desire to be in my company, which NEVER happened before...”

The free series of online lectures from the training “System-vector psychology” by Yuri Burlan reveals the causes and conditions for the emergence of conflicts, and also provides a universal and mathematically accurate tool for resolving them.

Author Yulia Lisitskaya, philologist

Editor Tamara Tkachenko

Proofreader Natalya Konovalova

The article was written using materials from Yuri Burlan’s online training “System-vector psychology”

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Conflict management: psychology

The conflicting parties can remain in confrontation for a long time and even get used to this situation. As practice shows, in such relationships a detonator is triggered, which provokes open confrontation between the parties.

Or, on the contrary, a showdown occurs in a civilized way, but due to the unprofessionalism of the participants in the collision, the way out of the situation occurs incorrectly and leads to negative consequences.

Regulating relationships comes down to the ability to manage them. Moreover, conflict management is not always its solution. Sometimes it is more important to maintain good relations between those in conflict than to resolve the confrontation.

History of the concept

There is a common idea that conflict is always a negative phenomenon, causing threats, hostility, resentment, misunderstanding, that is, it is something that should be avoided if possible. Representatives of the early scientific schools of management also believed that conflict is a sign of ineffective organizational performance and poor management. However, at present, management theorists and practitioners are increasingly inclined to the point of view that some conflicts, even in the most effective organization with the best employee relations, are not only possible, but also desirable. You just need to manage the conflict. Many different definitions of conflict can be found, but they all emphasize the presence of contradiction, which takes the form of disagreement when it comes to the interaction of people.

Resolution methods

Psychological conflict has several ways of resolution.

Avoiding or moving away from a collision. In this situation, one side does not react or pretends that it is indifferent to the discord that has arisen.
Mitigating disagreements. One of the conflicting parties agrees with the claims or is looking for an excuse.
Agreement. Both sides find a compromise in order to resolve the current situation.
Use of force. In such a situation, one side of the conflict is forced to accept conditions that facilitate the resolution of disagreements.
The best way to resolve conflict in psychology is to prevent it. To do this, you need to learn to build a dialogue, listen to your opponent, learn to articulate your desires, without counting on your partner to guess what you want.
Don't get into an argument when you're excited. In a state of passion, you can cause irreparable psychological trauma to your opponent, and sometimes physical trauma, which you will regret in the future.
Analyze the situation, find the cause of the collision, tell your interlocutor about your discovery. Do this while remaining calm.
Discuss together a way out of the current confrontation.

Most often, excess emotionality prevents you from avoiding confrontation. If the goal is to prevent a conflict of interests, you will have to learn to control your inner impulses. Thanks to these qualities, a person is able to adequately assess the situation in which he finds himself. And the ability to keep your emotions under control helps you convey your arguments to your opponent with maximum effectiveness. Another good quality is the awareness of the right of each individual to independently resolve certain situations.

The situation is more complicated when it comes to intrapersonal discord. A person faces his problems alone, sometimes without understanding their essence. To successfully resolve the situation, you need to find the root cause of the internal confrontation. Only then can you look for ways to solve it. Often a person has to take his condition for granted and then the discord will be reduced to a minimum. It is not always possible to solve this issue on your own, since getting to the bottom of the truth is quite difficult.

Whatever the background of the confrontation in which you find yourself involved, try to behave with dignity. Carry on a conversation without raising your voice. Don't let your emotions ruin your relationship. As they say, a bad peace is better than a good quarrel. If a collision cannot be avoided, make every effort to ensure that the situation does not affect your deepest feelings. When it comes to family discord, do not try to hush up disagreements, say out loud what exactly bothers you, learn to find a compromise, and any conflict will help your relationship reach a new creative level.

How to manage conflict

If you want to become a third party mediator in resolving a conflict, here are 16 simple steps to manage conflict:

Based on the information you have, present a general picture of the conflict and determine the essence, assess the needs and interests of both parties.
Have a conversation with the participant whose position seems more justified to you. Find out his vision of reasons, fears and desires. From his words, compose his vision of the opponent’s interests, desires and fears.
Talk to the second opponent in the same way.
Have a conversation with your first opponent's friends. They will help you create a more accurate picture of your interests, fears and aspirations.
Do the same with the friends of the second opponent.
Discuss the vision of the conflict (reasons, methods of regulation and possible consequences) with the informal leaders of the group.
Discuss with formal leaders.
Find out the real reason and distance yourself from the participants.
Identify their subconscious motives.
Indicate where each opponent is right and what is wrong.
Describe the possible best and worst possible outcome of the situation for each position. Find out if a compromise is possible.
Assess all possible, including hidden, consequences of your intervention.
Prepare and propose approximately four options for joint efforts of opponents to solve the problem. Moreover, there is a maximum program and a minimum program.
Discuss programs with friends and leaders, make changes if necessary.
Stick to your chosen plan, try to involve your opponents' friends.
Evaluate the positive and negative aspects of your experience.

As you may have noticed, this is a general plan for resolving conflict, universal for different species. Of course, it needs to be adjusted taking into account the specific situation and type of conflict. In its pure form, it is more suitable for resolving organizational conflicts.

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Signs of internal conflict

There are several symptoms of this malaise:

apathy;
depression;
isolation;
low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence;
anxiety;
irritability;
loss of concentration;
indifference to life.

Symptoms vary, changes depend on the severity of the disease. With mild confrontation, the person tries to distract himself with various activities, for example:

cleaning;
arranging books in alphabetical order;
professional activity.

A severe form of illness is characterized by the following symptoms: loss of strength, apathy. When an individual cannot concentrate on his choice, he is haunted by an obsessive stream of thoughts, anxiety, absent-mindedness, and lack of concentration arise.

Behavior strategies in conflict situations

Kenneth Thomas, together with Ralph Killman, identify five main strategies for behavior in conflict situations:

Behavioral strategies of conflict participants

Fight (coercion)
, when a participant in a conflict tries to force him to accept his point of view at any cost, he is not interested in the opinions and interests of others. Typically, such a strategy leads to a deterioration in relations between the conflicting parties. This strategy can be effective if it is used in a situation that threatens the existence of the organization or prevents it from achieving its goals.
Withdrawal (evasion)
is when a person seeks to escape a conflict. This behavior may be appropriate if the point of disagreement is of little value or if the conditions for a productive resolution of the conflict are not currently available, or when the conflict is not realistic.
Adaptation (compliance)
, when a person renounces his own interests, is ready to sacrifice them to another, to meet him halfway. This strategy may be appropriate when the subject of disagreement is of less value to a person than the relationship with the opposite party. However, if this strategy becomes dominant for a manager, then he most likely will not be able to effectively lead his subordinates.
Compromise
. When one side accepts the other's point of view, but only to a certain extent. At the same time, the search for an acceptable solution is carried out through mutual concessions.

The ability to compromise in management situations is highly valued, as it reduces ill will and allows conflict to be resolved relatively quickly. However, a compromise solution can subsequently lead to dissatisfaction due to its half-heartedness and cause new conflicts.

Cooperation when participants recognize each other’s right to their own opinion and are ready to understand it, which gives them the opportunity to analyze the reasons for disagreements and find a solution acceptable to everyone. At the same time, the attitude towards cooperation is usually formulated as follows: “It’s not you against me, but we are together against the problem.”

Consequences of intrapersonal conflicts

It is believed that intrapersonal conflict is an inseparable element in the formation of the individual’s psyche. Therefore, the consequences of internal confrontations can have a positive aspect (that is, be productive) for the individual as well as a negative one (that is, destroy personal structures).

A confrontation is considered positive if it has the maximum development of opposing structures and is characterized by minimal personal costs for its resolution. One of the tools for harmonizing personal development is constructively overcome intrapersonal confrontation. The subject is able to recognize his personality only by resolving internal confrontation and intrapersonal conflicts.

Intrapersonal confrontation can help develop adequate self-esteem, which, in turn, contributes to personal self-realization and self-knowledge.

Internal conflicts that aggravate splitting of personality, turn into crises, or contribute to the formation of reactions of a neurotic nature are considered destructive or negative.

Acute internal confrontations often lead to the destruction of existing interpersonal interactions at work or family relationships. As a rule, they become the causes of increased aggressiveness, restlessness, anxiety, and irritability during communicative interaction. Long-term intrapersonal confrontation hides a threat to the effectiveness of activities.

In addition, intrapersonal confrontations are characterized by a tendency to develop into neurotic conflicts. Anxieties inherent in conflicts can transform into a source of illness if they begin to occupy a central place in the system of personal relationships.

Conflict is the result of an unmet need

If you understand the mechanism of conflicts, everything will fall into place. And the point is actually simple.

Every person meets many of their needs every day. We are designed in such a way that these needs are inherent, so we consciously (and even more often unconsciously) look for ways to satisfy them. And if we cannot find a way, we feel bad and look for an opportunity to fill the need at the expense of someone or something.

Naturally, the world did not sign up to satisfy all our requests, and solving this problem ourselves is not so easy. This is where conflicts arise.

Moreover, the causes of conflicts can be both healthy and neurotic.

Objective reasons for conflicts

Let's begin our consideration of the causes of conflicts with objective factors.

Resource Allocation

Uneven distribution of resources is a very common cause of conflict. This is the hatred of the poor towards the rich, and resentment towards the brother who was cut off a larger piece of the cake. If someone has something that another doesn’t have, expect envy, expect bitterness, expect conflict.

And even if resources are distributed evenly, it will still cause indignation: “I deserve more than him!”

Differences in Goals

Each person has his own individual goals, which do not always completely coincide with the goals of other people. And when, as in Krylov’s fable, they begin to pull the cart in different directions, an inevitable conflict looms: it will not be possible to achieve all goals at once, someone will have to remain out of work.

Or let's take a simpler example: a group of people are playing volleyball. But part of the team really wants to win, while the other part plays for the sake of the process itself and doesn’t really try to snatch victory. Of course, trying players will get angry at those who let the team down.

Differences in Perspectives

Let's say a group of friends goes to the forest. Some anticipate an abundance of greenery and mushrooms, and imagine squirrels jumping from branch to branch. And others think about mosquitoes, dirt, etc. They have different ideas about the prospects of the trip, some members of the company will be unhappy that they are going there, while others will heatedly argue with them and convince them that a trip to the forest is a great idea. No matter who is right, the likelihood of conflict is quite high.