Examples of conflicts. Types of conflicts

An integral part of the modern life of society are social conflicts in all their diversity. Examples of conflicts are encountered to us everywhere, beginning with minor quarrels and ending with international confrontations. The consequence of one such confrontation - Islamic fundamentalism - is being considered on the scale of one of the biggest world problems bordering the threat of the Third World War. However, studies on the specifics of conflict as a socio-psychological phenomenon have shown that this is a fairly broad and complex concept in order to evaluate it unequivocally from a destructive point of view.

The concept of conflict

The most common in scientific knowledge are two approaches to the nature of conflict (Antsupov A. Ya.). The first defines conflict as a clash of parties, opinions or forces; The second - as a collision of opposing positions, goals, interests and views of the subjects of interaction. Thus, in the first case, examples of conflicts of a broader significance, occurring both in living and in inanimate nature, are considered. In the second case there is a restriction of the circle of participants in the conflict by a group of people At the same time, any conflict includes certain lines of interaction between subjects (or groups of entities) that develop into confrontation.

Structure and specifics of the conflict

The founder of the conflict paradigm as a whole in humanitarian knowledge is L. Kozer. One of the advantages of his theory is the recognition of the fact that there are examples of conflicts of positive functional significance. In other words, Kozer argued that the conflict is not always a destructive phenomenon, there are cases when it is a necessary condition for creating internal links of a particular system or a condition for maintaining social unity.

The structure of the conflict is formed by its participants (opponents, opposing sides) and their actions, subject, conditions / situation of the conflict (example - crush in public transport) and its outcome. The subject of the conflict, as a rule, is closely related to the needs of the parties involved, for which the struggle is being fought. In general, they can be grouped into three large groups: material, social (status-role) and spiritual. Dissatisfaction with certain important for the individual (group) needs can be considered as the cause of conflicts.

Examples of typology of conflicts

As Grishina points out, in ordinary consciousness, examples of conflicts include a fairly wide range of phenomena - beginning with an armed clash and confrontation of certain social groups and up to marital disagreements. At the same time it does not matter whether it is a discussion in the parliament or the struggle of personal desires. In modern science of science, you can meet a huge number of different classifications, while there is no clear differentiation between the concepts of "types" and "types" of conflicts. Examples from both groups are often used as synonyms. Meanwhile, in our opinion, it is more appropriate to single out three main aspects in the typology of conflicts:

• Types of conflicts;
• Types of conflicts;
• Forms of conflict.

The first aspect seems to be the broadest in scope. Each type can include several types of conflicts, which, in turn, can occur in one form or another.

Types and types of conflicts

The main types of conflicts are:

• Intrapersonal (intrapersonal);
• Interpersonal (interpersonal);
• Intergroup;
• Conflict between a person and a group.

Thus, the emphasis in this case is made on the subjects (participants) of the conflict. In turn, interpersonal, intergroup conflict, as well as conflict between a person and a group, are examples of social conflicts. The first social conflict, along with intrapersonal and zoo-conflict, singled out the German sociologist G. Simmel as an independent type . In some later concepts, intrapersonal conflict is also included in the concept of social, which, however, is a debatable moment.

Among the main causes of social conflicts, it is customary to allocate limited resources, people's differences in the value-semantic context, differences in life experience and behavior, the limitations of certain capabilities of the human psyche,

Intrapersonal conflict

It implies a subjectively experienced mismatch of certain trends in the self-consciousness of the individual (assessments, attitudes, interests, etc.) interacting with each other in the development process (Mitina LM, Kuzmenkova OV). In other words, this is a collision of certain motivational formations that can not be satisfied (realized) simultaneously. For example, a person may not like his job, but be afraid to quit because of the prospect of remaining unemployed. A child may be tempted to skip a lesson and at the same time be afraid of being punished for this, etc.

In turn, this type of conflict can be of the following types (Antsupov A. Ya., Shipilov AI):

• Motivational ("I want" and "I want");
• Conflict of inadequate self-esteem ("I can" and "I can");
• Role ("must" and "must");
• Conflict of unrealized desire ("I want" and "I can");
• Moral ("I want" and "must");
• Adaptable ("must", "can").

Thus, this classification distinguishes three main components of the personality structure, which come into conflict with each other: "I want" (I want), "I must" (must) and "I am" (can). If we compare this concept with the known personality structure developed by Sigmund Freud in the framework of psychoanalysis, we can observe the conflict Id (want), Ego (can) and Super-Ego (it is necessary). Also in this case, it is useful to recall the transactional analysis of Eric Berne and the three positions of the personality that he identifies: Child (I want), Adult (can), Parent (must).

Interpersonal conflict

This type takes place in the event of disagreements and clashes between individuals. Among its features, it can be noted that it proceeds according to the principle "here and now", it can have both objective and subjective reasons, and, as a rule, is characterized by high emotionality of the parties involved. The interpersonal type can also be subdivided into separate types of conflicts.

For example, depending on the specifics of the subordination relationship between participants, interpersonal conflicts can be divided into conflicts "vertically", "horizontally", and "diagonally". In the first case, we are dealing with subordination relations, for example, the head is an employee, the teacher is a student. The second case takes place when the participants in the conflict occupy equal positions and do not obey each other: colleagues in the work, spouses, casual passers-by, people in the queue, etc. Conflicts along the diagonal can arise between opponents who are in indirect subordination - between the boss Service and duty officer, between the fear and the younger, etc. (when the participants are at different positions, but do not have subordination relations with each other).

Also, interpersonal conflicts can include such types as family (conjugal, child-parent, conflict between brothers and sisters), household, conflict in organization (we see an example of an organizational conflict whenever there is a clash in a certain production structure between Its subjects within the framework of working interaction), etc.

Intergroup conflict

Intergroup conflicts are usually classified as clashes between individuals of different social groups (large, small and medium), and between these groups as a whole. In this case, it is also possible to distinguish a kind of conflict in the organization (examples: between employees and management, administration and trade union, students and teachers, etc.), domestic (if several representatives of two or more groups participate in the conflict - for example, in communal Apartments, in the queue, public transport, etc.).

It is also possible to single out such examples of social conflicts at the intergroup level, as interethnic, intercultural and religious. Each of these species covers a wide population and is characterized by a considerable length of time. In addition, the species can be of an overlapping nature. A separate category is represented by international conflicts (examples of which we constantly see in the news), including between individual states and their coalitions.

Conflict between a person and a group

This type usually occurs when a single individual in a group refuses to act as the rest of its participants, thereby demonstrating nonconformist behavior. Either he performs a certain act, which in this group is considered unacceptable, which provokes the conflict. An example is Rolan Bykov's feature film "Scarecrow" (1983), in which the main character, Lena Bessoltseva, comes into conflict with the class. Also a striking example of nonconformist behavior in the group provoking the conflict is the tragic fate of the Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno.

Forms of conflict

This category implies the existence of certain specific actions that form a conflict. Among the main forms in which the conflict is possible, the following can be singled out (Samsonova NV): Dispute (controversy), claim, conviction, boycott, strike, sabotage, strike, swearing, quarrel, threat, enmity, encroachment , Coercion, attack, war (political conflicts). Examples of debate and polemics can also be found in scientific communities, which once again proves the possibility of constructive conflict.

For all types of conflicts, three main theoretical approaches can be considered:

• Motivational;
• Situational;
• Cognitive.

Motivational approach

From the point of view of this approach, the hostility of a particular person or group is a reflection primarily of her internal problems. So, for example, from the position of Freud, autogroup hostility is an inevitable condition for any intergroup interaction, having a universal character. The main function of this hostility is a means of maintaining the internal stability and cohesion of the group. A separate place in this case is occupied by political conflicts. Examples can be found in the history of the formation of the fascist movement in Germany and Italy (the idea of racial superiority), as well as in the history of the struggle against "enemies of the people" during the Stalinist repressions. Freud linked the mechanism of formation of autogroup hostility towards "alien" with the oedipal complex, the instinct of aggression, and also with emotional identification with the leader of the group - the "father", etc. From the moral point of view, such facts can not be regarded as a constructive conflict. Examples of racial discrimination and mass terror, nevertheless, clearly demonstrate the possibility of rallying members of one group in the process of confrontation with others.

In the theoretical concept of aggression of American psychologist Leonard Berkovitsa, relative deprivation is one of the key factors of intergroup conflicts. That is, one of the groups assesses their position in society as more disadvantaged in comparison with the situation of other groups. At the same time, deprivation is relative, since the disadvantaged situation in reality may not correspond to reality.

Situational approach

This approach is focused on external factors, the situation that causes the emergence and specificity of the conflict. Thus, in the studies of the Turkish psychologist Muzafer Sherif, it was established that the hostility of one group to another significantly decreases if instead of competitive conditions they are provided with the conditions of cooperation (the need for joint activities in which the outcome depends on the common efforts of all participants). Thus, the Sheriff comes to the conclusion that the factors of the situation in which the groups interact are decisive in determining the cooperative or competitive nature of the intergroup interaction.

Cognitive approach

In this case, the emphasis is on the dominant role of cognitive (mental) attitudes of the participants in the conflict relative to each other. Thus, in the situation of intergroup conflicts, the hostility of one group in relation to the other is not necessarily due to an objective conflict of interest (as argued in the realistic theory of conflicts in the context of the situational approach). Accordingly, the non-cooperative / competitive nature of the situation becomes a decisive factor in interpersonal and inter-group interaction, and the group settings that arise in the process of it. By themselves, common goals lead to the resolution of conflicts between opponents - it depends on the formation of social attitudes that unite groups and contribute to overcoming their confrontation.

Taejfel and Turner developed a theory of social identity, according to which conflicts between groups are not necessarily a consequence of social injustice (as opposed to a motivational approach). Facing this injustice, individuals have the opportunity to choose their own ways of overcoming it.

Conflict culture of personality

Regardless of whether there are international conflicts, examples of which most clearly demonstrate the destructive nature of the conflicting behavior of the parties; Or we are talking about a minor quarrel between colleagues at work, the most important way seems to be the optimal way out. The ability of the opposing sides to find compromises in a difficult controversial situation, to restrain their own destructive behavior, to see possible prospects for further cooperation with real opponents - all these factors are the key to a possible favorable outcome. However, no matter how important the total role of state policy, economic and cultural-legal system in society, the origins of this trend are in separate specific individuals. Just as the river begins with small streams.

This is a conflictological culture of the individual. The corresponding concept includes the ability and desire of the individual to prevent and resolve social conflicts (Samsonova NV). In this case, it is useful to recall the notion of "constructive conflict". Examples of contemporary conflicts (taking into account their acute and large-scale nature) demonstrate, rather, the lack of any constructive conflict interaction. In this regard, the concept of conflictological culture of the individual should be considered not only and not so much as one of the conditions for the optimal resolution of disputed situations in society, but also as the most important factor of the socialization of the personality of each modern individual.