The parties to the conflict are ... The interests of the parties to the conflict

Conflicts are unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on their outcome), almost an integral part of our lives. In this article, we will consider the very concept of conflict, its causes, functions, actors and ways to resolve it.

What is conflict

Conflict is a disagreement or clash between people or groups of people, which is caused by a difference in goals, behaviors or attitudes. The interests of the parties to the conflict do not coincide, with each side trying to make it so that its point of view is accepted, and the opponent insists on his position. Conflict, as a rule, is accompanied by negative emotions and is the most acute form of clarifying the relationship. It often happens that the result of a conflict are actions that go beyond the framework of generally accepted rules and social norms. There is a whole science that studies conflicts. It is called conflictology.

Not only people are able to find out the relationship. In nature, there are also collisions between individuals and groups of animals. This shows that conflicts play an important role in the interaction of all living creatures on the planet.

Causes of conflict

Among the main causes of the conflict are usually the following:

• Resource allocation. As a rule, in any environment the amount of resources is limited. At the same time, each individual has a tendency to acquire as much valuable assets as possible. This causes clashes, as both sides of the conflict want to increase their share of resources at the expense of each other.

• The interdependence of tasks. In any organization, there are interdependent elements - people, a group of people or units. All of them are united by one task, however for its achievement everyone has their own roles. When someone does poorly with his role, disagreements arise that can lead to conflict. In this case, the parties to the conflict are those people or groups of people who, on the way to accomplishing their task, encounter any obstacles caused by the actions of other elements.

• Differences in purpose. It often happens that the goals that people or groups of people establish themselves are different from the goals of another unit or organization as a whole. In this case, in the practical implementation of the overall goal of the organization, conflict situations may arise.

• Differences in life experiences and values. People who differ in terms of level of education, age, perceptions of life and their habits, can periodically clash with each other.

Classification of conflicts

If we take the main causes of conflicts and unite them, then we can obtain a classification of the arising disagreements. For example, if we consider conflicts of interest from the side of the conflict, this implies the following classification:

• conflicts between individuals;

• between a certain person and a group of persons;

• among groups;

• between social communities;

• between ethnic groups;

• Interstate conflicts.

We can also highlight social conflicts based on motivation. In total, these are three blocks:

• conflicts related to the distribution of positions of power and authority;

• clashes of interests based on the distribution of material resources;

• Disagreements related to differences in basic living attitudes.

Classification of conflicts is a method for determining them, which consists in establishing a common characteristic by which conflicts can be grouped together. At the same time, the parties to the social conflict interact with each other in a specific way, characteristic of one or another form of opposition, which is determined by the reasons for the disagreement.

Social functions of conflict

The social functions of the conflict can be either positive or negative. What the impact of the conflict, largely depends on the social system. In those groups that are freely structured, where conflict is the norm, and effective mechanisms for its resolution are worked out, contradictions contribute to increasing vitality, dynamics and progress. If the social group has a totalitarian organization, where the conflict is not allowed and is suppressed only by one method - the force, then the conflict leads to disintegration and dysfunction. When unresolved differences accumulate, they lead to serious social problems.

Positive aspects of the conflict

Confrontation is an indispensable source of social development and the changes that are taking place in it. With proper development, the conflict has positive results. These include:

• Progressive changes. Any new undertaking involves the negation of the old. This is a kind of conflict between the established foundations and new trends. Since behind any action is the human factor, the opposition between the adherents of the old and the new is inevitable.

• Mobilization of resources and attention. The positive sides of the conflict in this case are manifested in the fact that it provokes people to the actions that are necessary to resolve any inconvenient situation. It is possible for a long time because of mutual respect, unwillingness to provoke scandals and other things to bypass difficult questions. But when there is a conflict, it is necessary to solve problems, mobilizing for this purpose all the necessary resources and means.

• Attraction of the population to the urgent problems. The conflict attracts public attention to complex issues, and this, in turn, provokes people to act to help resolve the negative situation.

• Development of free-thinking. Conflict, as a rule, aggravates the situation and contributes to the elimination of the "obedience syndrome". Positions of the parties to the conflict are defended by its participants with great diligence, awakening in a person all of its hidden resources.

Negative parties to the conflict

The negative sides of the conflict are dysfunctional phenomena, which lead to a decrease in the effectiveness of the organization's activities. If we consider in more detail the negative aspects of the contradictions, among them we can distinguish the following:

• Distraction of people from real problems and goals. Often it happens that the goal of defeating the enemy overshadows reasonable arguments, and selfish interests begin to prevail. In this case, the conflict does not solve the pressing problems, but only distracts them from them.

• Growth of dissatisfaction, depression, distrust towards others and leadership. These phenomena reduce the efficiency of work, and do not contribute to the disclosure of the potential of people.

• Fruitless waste of energy, energy and resources on the internal struggle. In conflict situations, people spend certain resources, and when these costs do not help to improve an unfavorable situation, it causes unjustified losses of resources that could be applied in a more necessary direction.

The actors of the conflict

In any conflict, the following actors are distinguished:

A participant in a conflict is a person or a group of persons who are involved in a conflict situation. A participant may not even be aware of the true aims and tasks of confrontation.

The direct participant in the conflict is the instigator. It is he who initiates the clarification of relations.

The subject of the conflict is a person or a group of people who creates an opposing situation. The subject is able to sufficiently influence the course of the conflict, focusing on his own interests. The subject also influences the behavior and situation of the participants in the conflict, involves new actors in it and is able to cause changes in social relations.

The parties to the conflict are new unities that are capable of acting as an independent whole. The parties to the conflict include only those social entities that take active actions in relation to each other. Parties to the conflict - this is the unity that is formed around newly emerging issues from the remnants of old, disintegrated groups.

Indirect participants in the conflict

The indirect participants in the conflict are actors who have an episodic role in the confrontation. For example, the instigator. He pushes the actors of the conflict to active actions, while he himself may then not take part in this confrontation. Allies or accomplices are persons who do not directly participate in a conflict situation, but at the same time provide moral or material support to one or the other side of the conflict.

Conflict resolution

Any conflict situation is resolved sooner or later or frozen. In order to eliminate contradictions and constructively resolve the issue, it is necessary to recognize the existence of the conflict and identify its main participants. Then it is necessary to organize a procedure for negotiations, discussion of acute issues, search for compromise solutions and implementation of the adopted resolutions in practice. If it is possible to achieve such results, the conflict can be considered a positive phenomenon with positive consequences.