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 Prevention

Stages of relationships between a man and a woman - description of the main periods

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.

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.

Causes of conflicts

four main groups can be distinguished into which the causes of conflicts are divided:

Objective reasons
Organizational and managerial reasons
Social and psychological reasons
Personal reasons

Let's talk about each group separately.

Objective causes of conflicts

Objective causes of conflicts are the reasons that determine the formation of a pre-conflict situation. In some cases they may be real, and in others they may be imaginary, representing only a reason artificially invented by a person.

The most common objective reasons include the following:

The collision of spiritual and material interests of people that occurs in the process of life in a natural rhythm.

EXAMPLE: Two people are arguing in a store about who will get the product they like, which remains in a single copy.

Insufficiently developed legal norms that regulate conflict resolution of problems.

EXAMPLE: A manager often insults his subordinate. The subordinate, defending his dignity, is forced to resort to conflict behavior. In our time, no effective methods have yet been developed to protect the interests of subordinates from the arbitrariness of managers. The subordinate, of course, can file a complaint with the appropriate authorities, but most likely this will not yield results. Hence it turns out that in such situations, subordinates have to either make concessions or enter into conflict.

Insufficient amount of spiritual and material goods necessary for normal life and activity.

EXAMPLE: Nowadays in society one can observe all sorts of shortages of various goods, which certainly affects both the lives of people and the characteristics of conflicts between them. Several people can apply for the same promising and well-paid position. This contributes to the emergence of conflicts between people, and the objective cause of the conflict here will be the distribution of material resources.

Organizational and managerial causes of conflicts

Organizational and managerial reasons are the second group of causes of conflicts. To some extent, these reasons can be called more subjective than objective. Organizational and managerial reasons are interconnected with processes such as the creation of various organizations, groups, teams, as well as with their functioning.

The main organizational and managerial reasons are:

Structural-organizational reasons - their meaning lies in the fact that the structure of the organization does not meet the requirements that the activity in which it is engaged puts forward for it. The structure of the organization should be determined by the tasks that it solves or plans to solve, in other words, the structure must be adapted to them. But the catch is that bringing the structure to meet the tasks is very problematic, which is where conflicts arise.

EXAMPLE: When designing an organization, as well as in forecasting its tasks, mistakes were made; During the course of an organization's activities, the tasks facing it constantly change.

Functional-organizational reasons - as a rule, are caused by a lack of optimality in the connections between the organization and the external environment, various departments of the organization or individual employees.

EXAMPLE: Conflicts may arise due to a discrepancy between the rights of an employee and his responsibilities; discrepancy between wages and the quality and quantity of work done; discrepancy between logistics and the volume and features of the tasks assigned.

Personal-functional reasons - due to insufficient compliance of the employee, based on the professional, moral and other qualities required by the position he occupies.

EXAMPLE: If an employee does not have the qualities required by the organization, conflicting relationships may arise between him and senior management, colleagues, etc., because the mistakes he makes can affect the interests of everyone with whom he interacts.

Situational and managerial reasons are a consequence of mistakes made by managers and their subordinates in the process of solving the tasks assigned to them (managerial, organizational, etc.).

EXAMPLE: If an incorrect management decision is made, a conflict may arise between its executors and authors; Similar situations arise when an employee does not complete the task assigned to him or does it improperly.

Social and psychological causes of conflicts

The socio-psychological causes of conflicts are based on the socio-psychological prerequisites inherent in interpersonal relationships. They are also divided into several types:

An unfavorable socio-psychological climate is a situation in which there is no value-orientation unity and a low level of cohesion among people.

EXAMPLE: In an organization or any group of people, a negative atmosphere, depression, negative attitudes of people towards each other, pessimism, aggression, antipathy, etc. prevail.

Anomie of social norms is the inconsistency of social norms accepted in an organization or society. It can give rise to double standards - situations when one person demands from others what he himself does not follow.

EXAMPLE: In an organization there is a person who gets away with everything, while another is required to perform unimaginable tasks and be held accountable for every action.

The discrepancy between social expectations and the implementation of social roles and the fulfillment of functionality appears due to the fact that one person may already have formed expectations, and another person may not even be aware of it.

EXAMPLE: A manager expects a subordinate to perform his duties in a specific way, but has not brought him up to date. The subordinate performs the work as it should happen in his understanding. As a result, the manager’s expectations are not met, which is what causes the conflict.

Generational conflict is usually associated with different behavior patterns of people and differences in their life experiences.

EXAMPLE: An elderly person believes that young people should behave in a certain way, corresponding to the idea that is fixed in his mind. Young people, in turn, behave in a way that is right from their point of view. Conflict may arise as a result of this discrepancy.

Communication barriers - in other words, misunderstanding between people, which can arise either unconsciously, due to the inability to communicate effectively and focusing only on one’s interests, or deliberately, to make it difficult for a partner to communicate.

EXAMPLE: threats, lectures, commands, orders, accusations, humiliation, moralizing, logical arguments, criticism, disagreements, interrogations, clarifications, distractions, deliberate withdrawal from the problem and everything that can disrupt another person’s train of thought and force him to prove his point position.

Territoriality – refers to the field of environmental psychology. Territoriality means the occupation by one person or group of people of a specific space and taking it and everything that is in it under their control.

EXAMPLE: A group of young people comes to the park and wants to take a bench where people are already sitting. They demand to give up their place, which can cause a conflict, because others may not give up their place. Another example would be the introduction of troops into the territory of a country in order to occupy certain positions there, subjugate it to one’s control, and establish one’s own rules.

Presence of a destructive leader in an informal structure - If there is a destructive leader in an informal organization, he, intending to achieve personal goals, may organize a group of people who will obey his instructions, rather than the instructions of the formal leader.

EXAMPLE: You can remember the movie “Lord of the Flies” - according to the plot, the following situation occurred: a group of boys who found themselves on a desert island chose one of the guys as a specific leader. At first, everyone listened to him and followed his orders. However, later one of the guys felt that the leader was behaving ineffectively. Subsequently, he becomes an informal leader and lures the boys to his side, as a result of which the boy, who was the formal leader, loses all authority and power.

Difficulties in the socio-psychological adaptation of new team members arise in many cases when a new person joins an organization, company or any other group of people. In such situations, the stability of the team is disrupted, which makes it susceptible to negative influences both from within and from the outside.

EXAMPLE: A new person comes to the established team of a department of an organization, with his own characteristics and qualities. People begin to take a closer look, adapt, check each other, arrange all kinds of “tests”. In the process of such interaction, conflict situations of various kinds may arise.

Responsive aggression is characteristic mainly of weak and defenseless people. It manifests itself in the fact that a person’s indignation is directed not at its source, but at the people around him: relatives, friends, colleagues, etc.

EXAMPLE: A young man works as a manager in a company. But due to his character and personality traits, everyone makes fun of him, “teasing” him, sometimes not in a very friendly way. But he cannot answer anyone, because... weak by nature. His indignation is sublimated into aggression, which he takes out when he comes home on his relatives - he shouts at them, swears at them, starts quarrels, etc.

Psychological incompatibility is a situation when people are incompatible with each other according to some psychological criteria: character, temperament, etc.

EXAMPLE: Family quarrels and scandals, divorces, domestic violence, negative atmosphere in the team, etc.

Personal causes of conflicts

The personal causes of conflicts are closely related to the psychological characteristics of the people involved. As a rule, they are determined by the specifics of the processes occurring in the human psyche during his interaction with the outside world and people around him.

The types of reasons presented include the following:

A person’s assessment of another’s behavior as unacceptable - the nature of each person’s behavior depends on his personal and psychological characteristics, as well as his mental state, attitude towards another person or situation. A person’s behavior and communication can be regarded by a partner either as acceptable and desirable, or as unacceptable and undesirable.

EXAMPLE: Two people met in a new company. One of them is used to communicating in a purely rude manner, which the rest of the company members already treat normally, while for the other such behavior is unacceptable, as a result of which he expresses his indignation about this. People come into confrontation and a conflict situation arises.

Low level of socio-psychological competence - manifests itself in situations where a person is not prepared to act effectively in conflict situations or has no idea that many non-conflict methods can be used to get out of a pre-conflict situation.

EXAMPLE: A fierce argument arises between two men on some sensitive topic. But while one of them can give arguments in his favor and resolve the dispute verbally and without aggression, the other is used to resolving all issues with his fists. As soon as the situation begins to heat up, one resorts to physical contact - a conflict situation arises, although before that it could be characterized as pre-conflict and a lot of ways could be applied to it to get around the “sharp corners”.

Insufficient psychological stability - makes itself felt when a person is not able to adequately respond to the influence of stress factors during social interaction.

EXAMPLE: The cause of the conflict here can even be a banal “crush” in the morning in transport - one person accidentally steps on another’s foot, the second in response begins to be indignant and insult the first.

An insufficiently developed ability to empathize is the cause of conflict when one person is unable to understand the emotional state of another and empathize with him.

EXAMPLE: A wife comes home from work in a dejected state, she is upset about something, upset, she needs to talk it out, share her experiences. The husband does not pay any attention to this, continues to watch TV or read the newspaper. The wife, not feeling any attention, begins to be indignant about this and a family quarrel begins.<

Inflated/lowered level of aspirations can cause conflict when a person has inadequate self-esteem or assessment of his own strengths and capabilities.

EXAMPLE: low or high self-esteem, self-confidence, lack of self-confidence, the desire to avoid responsibility, the desire to constantly complain or complain about life, etc.

The causes of conflicts we have considered are the most common in everyday life, but they are not exhaustive. Of primary importance in this matter are the situations that serve as causes for conflicts. In some cases, situations can contribute to their appearance, and in others - contribute to their inhibition.

Now we should move on to a question that concerns an already emerging and developing conflict, namely: consider the stages of its development and dynamics.

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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

Types of human memory in psychology, classification of main types

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.

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.