Conflict And Conflict Resolution Studies

Conflict resolution exist in every society. Conflict more often than not occurs due to a clash in interest in the relationship between, groups,

What is conflict? Even something as basic as a universal definition for the word conflict seems to vary from source to source. A literature review focusing on conflict defined it as “the interaction of interdependent people who perceive incompatibility and the possibility of interference from others as a result of this incompatibility” (Brinkert 2010). Often times the disagreement results not from a concrete difference, but rather a difference in perception (Ellis & Abbott 2012). One of the most important factors effecting conflict management is the resolution style used. The most often used tool for classifying how conflict is managed is the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (Iglesias & Vallejo 2012).

Wilmot and Hocker defines conflict as being, “an expressive struggle between at least two interdependent people with incompatible goals, scarce resources and interference from achieving a specific goal”. ( ) Conflicts are inevitable, these conflicts can arise in intimate relationships, between parents and children, between siblings, in friendships and in the work place. While conflicts will never cease to exist, they can evolve into very complex creatures, and as "most of us are notoriously inaccurate at describing our own behavior in a conflict"(p. 129). There has become a great need for an assessment model to begin to thoroughly understand all of the elements that play into complexities of conflict. The Hocker-Wilmot Conflict Assessment Guide is so important because it aides us in describing the nature of conflict, this include; its history, precipitating events, the parties ' assumptions about conflict in general, the conflict elements, and past or potential transformations of those elements. Additionally, conflict styles are addressed, as is the perceptions of the opposing view, and the style of the system as a whole. The guide assesses the role of power in the conflict, describing the parties ' attitudes toward power, their areas of dependency and sources of power, their view of the balance of power, any unrecognized sources of power, and whether destructive forms of power balancing are occurring. The assessment should describe the parties ' goals, their

Now looking back in retrospect, it has raised my understanding of the conflict perspective on how it applies to our current society based on power distribution and marginalization. Furthermore, according to the conflict theory, Kendal (2013),

Conflict is a fact of life - for individuals, organizations, and societies. The costs of conflict are well-documented - high turnover, grievances and lawsuits, absenteeism, divorce, dysfunctional families, prejudice, fear. What many people don't realize is that well-managed conflict can actually be a force for positive change.

“Strife is the father of all things… Being at variance it agrees with itself: there is a back-stretched connection, as in the bow and the lyre” (Heraclitus,ca. 500 B.C.). Unit one of Four Sociological Traditions by Randall Collins talked about conflict. The term conflict theory was initially created by Karl Marx, but was later developed by other theorist such as Max Weber. Unit one illustrates that the main disagreement is not about conflict existing in society, but that there is an issue when conflict is not openly taking place. When this happens it is a “process of domination” (p.47). The consequence of domination is conflict, which is when people try to proceed in their own interests over others.

The purpose of this paper is to identify a conflict situation provide an analysis of each of the following related to a conflict situation: parties involved, events/issues, power, regulation and conflict and style of conflict management. This analysis should include defining variables and answers to assessment questions as appropriate.

Description of the various conflict management techniques used, the third parties that were active in attempts to resolve the conflict, and the outcomes of these conflict management efforts.

Kale and McCullough (2003) in conferring the five conflict levels make note that conflict is defined as “power struggles over differences”. The authors note the following “based on our definition, then, we will discuss five levels. The first two are really pre-conflict levels followed by three levels of actual conflict. Our levels are as follows: Awareness of Differences, Confronting the Differences, Power Struggles, Fight or Flight and Intractable”.

In presenting the rationale behind the publication of the third edition to their book, Ramsbotham, Woodhouse and Miall, explain how the field of conflict resolution has emerged as a specialization in the post-Cold War era. The authors “argue that it is an integral part of work for development, social justice, and social transformation”. As the fundamental challenges linked with state fragility surface, the development of conflict resolution and the related perspectives gain relevance, and will increasingly become more relevant when responding to changing societies; particularly where social bounds are weak due to a lack of consensus between values and traditions. This evolution in conflict analysis is a reflection of the evolution of classical

Conflicts, whether between individuals or groups, happen when “basic needs are unmet and when the two sides to the conflict… believe that the other is responsible for this deprivation” (Auerbach, 2009, p. 293). The two protagonists view the dispute through “the prism of their respective” narrative, resulting in each side seeing itself as “entitled to all rights” of the issues. Auerbach says there is a narrative framework for conflicts in using the “reconciliation pyramid” to discuss disputes and come to resolution. There are seven levels, and five assumptions, in this pyramid and it is followed from the base to the top. The process requires “reconciliation, meaning changing attitudes from denial and resentment to acceptance and trust” to be able to find peace between the sides. It also “incorporates both warm and cold steps” because no conflict resolution will have purely

Conflict is defined as the behaviour due to which people differ in their feelings, thought and/or actions. Collins (1995) states that the conflict is a ‘serious disagreement and argument about something important’ and also as ‘a serious difference between two or more beliefs, ideas or interests’ (cf. Kumaraswamy, 1997, p. 96). In general it is believed that conflicts are the underlying cause of disputes. In other words, dispute is a manifestation of the deep rooted conflict. A dispute is defined as ‘a class or kind of conflict, which manifests itself in distinct, justifiable issues. It involves disagreement over issues capable of resolution by negotiation, mediation or third party adjudication’

Karl Marx and Max Weber were the first conflict theorists in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Following Marx and Weber were three mid-20th century conflict theorists: Lewis Coser, Ralf Dahrendorf, and Randall Collins. Coser draws his theoretical ideas from Simmel. Like Simmel, Coser maintains that conflict is healthy for society. In contrast, Dahrendorf combines theoretical ideas from Marx and Weber. Dahrendorf sees power as the main feature in all social relationships. However, Collins incorporates Weber, Durkheim, and Goffman’s theories to provide a micro-level orientation to conflict theory. Collins also used geopolitics at a global level to examine political conflicts historically and

This is a research about conflict which should be considered and resolute during a project. Although, six experts are from different background, there are many sufficient methods to deal with different kind of issues during the working. The great mode has used in the research is Thomas-Kilmann’s conflict mode instrument. (Thomas, K. W., & Kilmann, R. H. ,1974). There are five effective approaches are discussed. Each approaches have its positive and negative effects. Also, there are many problems that each expert should consider about themselves which can devote their effort to help finish the project successfully. Achieving mastery through a comprehensive study of all of these methods can finally bring a huge success to the whole project.

 "Effective conflict resolution requires dealing constructively with disagreements rather than pushing them under the rug, letting them break into open warfare, or attempting to eliminate them completely.  Successful resolution of a conflict may include the following: accurate diagnosis of the nature and source of the conflict, a clear understanding of how each party is contributing to the conflict, skills and processes for defining alternatives, constructively negotiating outcomes, and creatively developing win-win resolutions" (Hagberg Consulting Group, 1).