Conflict. Stages of conflict. Stages of conflict development and resolution

Hi all! What stages of conflict development exist, what is their sequence and how to get out of them? You will learn about this and many other interesting things from this article.

Every person encounters conflict situations with loved ones, relatives or work colleagues. This often happens due to a lack of understanding of the logic of disagreement. There are even scientists who study these situations - conflictologists. They identified 3 main stages of the conflict.

Conflict implies versatility and mobility underneath. Quarrels are different, so there is no one exact concept. Thanks to the knowledge from this article, you will be able to get out of any conflict situation, you will understand all the stages of conflict resolution.

Definition of the concept

The dynamics of conflict can be viewed in both a narrow and broad sense. In the first case, this condition means the most acute stage of confrontation. In a broad sense, the stages of conflict development are a long-term process in which phases of clarification of relationships replace each other in space and time. There is no unambiguous approach to considering this phenomenon. For example, L. D. Segodeev identifies three stages of conflict dynamics, each of which he breaks down into separate phases. Kitov A.I. divides the process of confrontation into three stages, and V.P. Galitsky and N.F. Fsedenko into six. Some scholars believe that an even more complex phenomenon is conflict. The stages of the conflict, in their opinion, have two development options, three periods, four stages and eleven phases. This article will present precisely this point of view.

Conflict resolution

At what stage it is easiest to resolve a conflict depends on the participants and the goals they are pursuing. When interlocutors are ready to cooperate before violent disagreements begin, the problem can be resolved quickly and with maximum benefit. If there is a misunderstanding or lack of information, you need to bring the possible enemy to dialogue. Constructive communication will help you name the problem and resolve it peacefully. To do this, you need to understand the essence, find out the hidden motive of the conflict, if there is one.

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The interlocutor's disposition is a mandatory attribute to determine the cause of disagreements.

Additional Information. Communication on a friendly wave without going into personal topics, using appropriate jokes will help create a comfortable atmosphere for conversation. When a participant's goal is to achieve a certain result, and he does not intend to retreat, it will not be possible to resolve the problem peacefully. Behavior will be characterized by aggressiveness. You need to assess possible losses and decide on tactics, retreat before the fight begins, or try to reach a compromise.

Aggression in conflict

You cannot avoid conflict, hoping for its independent resolution. Such tactics of behavior will postpone the acute stage of the process, but will not eliminate the cause. Understanding the problem and the desire to listen to your interlocutor will help you quickly cope with the situation.

The most effective method of resolving disagreements is cooperation. When parties come together to achieve a common goal, this is achieved with mutual understanding between the participants, achieved as a result of negotiations. A compromise will solve the problem with minimal losses or benefits for both parties. Participants, based on the information received and their own opinions, make a decision that suits everyone.

Confrontation and violence are used when one of the participants is superior. He may have unlimited power or resources. It is not possible to resist him, since he is not interested in arguments and another point of view. The goal is to get what you want in any way. Such tactics should be used as a last resort, if the result is too important and there is no other option but to force the opponent to comply with inconvenient demands.

Development options, periods and stages

The stages of conflict development can unfold according to two different scenarios: the struggle enters the stage of escalation (the first option) or passes it (the second option).

The following states can be called periods of conflict development:

Differentiation - the opposing sides are separated, try to defend only their own interests, and use active forms of confrontation.
Confrontation—participants in the conflict use harsh force methods of struggle.
Integration - opponents meet each other halfway and begin to look for a compromise solution.

In addition to options and periods, the following main stages of the conflict can be distinguished:

Pre-conflict (hidden stage).
Conflict interaction (counteraction in the active stage, which, in turn, is divided into three phases: incident, escalation, balanced interaction).
Resolution (end of confrontation).
Post-conflict (possible consequences).

Below we will consider in detail the phases into which each stage of conflict interaction is divided.

Conflict Prevention

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To prevent conflict from developing, you need to remain calm. Emotions arise when reality does not meet expectations. You need to understand that people are not perfect, events do not always develop according to the planned pattern. It is important to control yourself, relying on reasonable arguments, and soberly assessing what is happening.

You need to try to take the side of the opposite side, look for common ground in order to identify a common goal. Working in one direction brings people together and makes confrontation pointless. It is important to treat your interlocutor with respect and not to get personal. Insults are unacceptable, especially if a person specifically seeks this, tries to bring the situation to a conflict. You always need to listen to the opposing opinion, evaluate its significance for yourself and your interlocutor, and voice your arguments. Conducting a discussion based on respect will help to come to a decision before emotional tension arises, then the tense stages of the conflict will bypass the discussion between the parties.

The ability to prevent conflicts before disputes escalate is an important skill. Already at school they begin to present information to children in the form of short courses of lectures. Students in grades 6-7 are introduced to the concept of interpersonal and group conflicts.

Pre-conflict (main phases)

In the latent stage of development, the following phases can be distinguished:

The emergence of a conflict situation. At this stage, a certain contradiction arises between opponents, but they are not yet aware of it and do not take any active steps to defend their positions.
Awareness of a conflict situation. At this time, the warring parties begin to understand that a clash is inevitable. In this case, the perception of the situation that has arisen is usually subjective. Awareness of a conflict objective situation can be either erroneous or adequate (that is, correct).
An attempt by opponents to resolve a pressing issue through communicative means, competently arguing their position.
Pre-conflict situation. Occurs if methods of peaceful resolution of the problem have not brought success. The warring parties realized the reality of the emerging threat and decided to defend their interests by other methods.

Causes of conflicts

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Conflict situations are provoked by various factors, which are divided into groups:

Personal. They depend on a person’s reaction to changes happening around him, his ability to communicate, and conduct a dialogue. Usually conflict is provoked by emotionally unstable people who are not prepared to work in a team. When they don’t know how to resolve disagreements peacefully, they can’t win them over, and it’s impossible for them to reflect the emotions of their interlocutor;
Social. Associated with behavioral characteristics, established standards, accepted norms. Disagreements arise when there is a conflict between people belonging to different generations, the incompatibility of interlocutors in character, temperament, and adherence to different values. Having a leader who creates his own agenda that conflicts with the overall goals of the organization can lead to negative consequences. Discord in the team occurs even when a new employee appears, if his adaptation is delayed;
Objective. They arise when people’s values and interests collide. Problems can be real or fictitious, existing only in the imagination. That is, a person assumes the presence of a difficulty, gets himself worked up out of nowhere, which happens in the absence of communication and lack of information;
Organizational. Occur in the course of professional activity. Associated with the employee’s inadequacy for the position held, when he is unable to cope with the responsibilities. An example is situations provoked by managers if they incorrectly distribute work among subordinates, cannot establish relationships between them, and incorrectly formulate tasks.

The factors provoking conflicts are not limited to the listed reasons. Knowing the motive is the first step towards getting out of it. It is important to determine the type of conflicts, whether they are objective or subjective, in order to understand the tactics of behavior and not lead to the emotional development of the intense phase of the conflict.

favorable ending to a conflict situation

Conflict situations are inevitable both in life and in a professional environment. There is no need to avoid or evade them; it is important to establish communication and know the sequence of stages of the conflict and ways to get out of them with minimal losses.

Conflict interaction. Incident

An incident is the deliberate actions of opponents who want to individually take possession of the object of the conflict, regardless of the consequences. Awareness of a threat to their interests forces the warring parties to use active methods of influence. An incident is the beginning of a collision. It specifies the balance of power and reveals the positions of the conflicting parties. At this stage, opponents still have little idea of their resources, potentials, strengths and means that will help them gain the upper hand. This circumstance, on the one hand, restrains the conflict, and on the other, forces it to develop further. At this phase, opponents begin to turn to a third party, that is, to appeal to legal authorities to assert and protect their interests. Each of the subjects of the confrontation tries to attract the largest number of supporters.

Object of conflict

Every conflict has its own reasons and arises due to the need to satisfy some needs. A value that can satisfy such a need and because of whose ownership conflicts arise is its object. The object of the conflict can be material, spiritual and social values. For example, the simplest type of interpersonal conflict is a quarrel between children over a toy in kindergarten. In this case, the object of the conflict is the toy as a material value.

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Conflict interaction. Escalation

This stage is characterized by a sharp increase in the aggressiveness of the warring parties. Moreover, their subsequent destructive actions are much more intense than the previous ones. The consequences are difficult to predict if the conflict goes so far. The stages of conflict in its development are divided into several stages:

A sharp decrease in the cognitive sphere in activity and behavior. The subjects of the confrontation are moving to more aggressive, primitive methods of confrontation.
Displacement of the objective perception of the opponent by the universal image of the “enemy”. This image becomes the leading one in the information model of the conflict.
Increased emotional stress.
A sharp transition from reasonable arguments to personal attacks and claims.
The growth of the hierarchical rank of prohibited and violated interests, their constant polarization. The interests of the parties become bipolar.
Uncompromising use of violence as an argument.
Loss of the original subject of the collision.
Generalization of the conflict, its transition to the global stage.
Involving new participants in the confrontation.

The above signs are characteristic of both interpersonal and group conflicts. At the same time, the initiators of the conflict can support and shape these processes in every possible way by manipulating the consciousness of the warring parties. It must be emphasized that in the process of escalation, the conscious sphere of the opponents’ psyche gradually loses its significance.

Subjects and social environment of the conflict

The subject of the conflict can be either an individual or social groups, organizations or larger social communities (states and their coalitions). The main participants in the conflict are opponents or opposing parties, of which there are at least two in the conflict. They are the core of the conflict. If at least one of its main parties withdraws from the confrontation, the conflict ends.

Opponents can be divided into three ranks. The opponent's rank is a complex characteristic of the power resources with which the fight is waged.

The significance and degree of influence of the parties to the conflict does not always correspond to any sequence. The role of some participants in the conflict is also different from the point of view of psychology: in this regard, it can be sublime, heroic, and maybe base or unsightly. Each of the participants can be guided in the development of confrontation by their own motives, interests, goals, attitudes and values. Both the social significance of the participants, and their attitudes and goals are especially clearly manifested only when the conflict reaches a high degree of development. At this time, the “moment of truth” comes in the process of development of the conflict, it is established who is who among the participants.

In addition to the main parties to the conflict, there may be other participants who play secondary roles in it. These roles can be both significant and insignificant, up to the role of the so-called “people from the crowd.”

The roles of the parties to the conflict differ from sociological and psychological points of view. From a sociological point of view, they can differ significantly in their social significance, influence, and strength, which is especially clearly revealed in the case of a collision between an individual and the state. Of course, in a conflict of this kind, the forces of the participants are not equal, as evidenced by the tragic fates of the “dissidents” who actively opposed the USSR.

However, in addition to the considered participants in the conflict, the totality of which constitutes its microenvironment, the most important and often decisive role in its development is played by the macroenvironment, those specific historical, socio-psychological conditions in which it unfolds. The concept of social environment defines the ground on which conflict arises and develops. This concept includes not both the immediate and distant, broader environment of the conflicting parties, those significant social groups to which they belong, class or national, as well as society as a whole.

Conflict resolution

The stages of conflict resolution are characterized by the cessation of active confrontation, awareness of the need to sit down at the negotiating table and the transition to active interaction.

The end of the active phase of a conflict can be provoked by several factors: a fundamental change in the value system of the conflicting parties; obvious weakening of one of the opponents; the obvious futility of further actions; overwhelming superiority of one of the parties; the emergence of a third party in the confrontation that can make a significant contribution to solving the problem.
The actual resolution of the conflict. The parties begin to negotiate and completely abandon forceful methods of struggle. Ways to resolve the confrontation can be as follows: changing the positions of the conflicting parties; elimination of one or all participants in the confrontation; destruction of the conflict object; effective negotiations; appeal of opponents to a third party playing the role of an arbitrator.

The conflict can end in other ways: by fading (extinction) or escalating into a confrontation of another level.

Stages of social conflict

When taking a direct part in a confrontation, it is quite difficult to abstract yourself and think about something else, since often the difference in views is quite sharp. At the same time, observers of confrontation can easily identify the main stages of social conflict. Sociologists usually disagree about the number of stages of social confrontation. But they are all similar in their definition of social confrontation. In a narrow sense, social confrontation refers to confrontation, the cause of which was disagreement among social communities in the justification of work activity, a general deterioration in the economic condition and status position, or in comparison with other groups, a decrease in the level of satisfaction with joint activities. A characteristic feature of social confrontation is the existence of an object of confrontation, the possession of which is associated with the frustration of individuals involved in social confrontation.

The main stages of social conflict: latent (hidden increase in discontent), peak of social tension (explicit expression of confrontation, active actions of participants), conflict resolution (reduction of social tension by overcoming the crisis).

The latent stage marks the stage at which conflict begins. Often it is not even noticeable to an outside observer. All actions of this stage develop at the social, everyday and psychological level.

Examples of the conflict stage are origin (conversations in smoking rooms or offices). The growth of this phase can be tracked by a number of indirect signs. At the latent stage of the conflict, examples of signs can be given as follows: an increase in the number of absenteeism, dismissals.

This stage can be quite lengthy in duration.

The peak phase is the critical point of opposition. At the peak stage of the conflict, the interaction between the warring parties reaches its utmost severity and intensity. It is important to be able to identify the passage of this point, since the situation of confrontation after its peak, as a rule, can be managed. At the same time, sociologists argue that intervention in a collision at the peak phase is useless, often even dangerous.

At the peak stage of the conflict, the following examples can be given: armed mass uprisings, territorial disagreements between powers, strikes.

The extinction of confrontation occurs due to either the exhaustion of the resources of one of the parties involved, or the achievement of an agreement.

Post-conflict stage

Partial resolution. The stages of social conflict end at this relatively peaceful stage. This state is characterized by the persistence of emotional tension; negotiations take place in an atmosphere of mutual expression of claims. At this stage of confrontation, post-conflict syndrome often arises, which is fraught with the development of a new dispute.
Normalization, or complete resolution of the conflict. This phase is characterized by the complete elimination of negative attitudes and reaching a new level of constructive interaction. The stages of conflict management are completely completed at this stage. The parties restore relations and begin productive joint activities.

Stages of conflict development

Below is a conflict resolution diagram.