Psychology of conflict

We are facing unpleasant conflicts in our everyday life that is why psychologists are studying this matter. They are trying to understand its roots, development and consequences, searching for ways how to avoid and come up with more productive solutions in conflict situations.

Psychologist usually define conflict as a situations where are more than one motives that cannot be fulfilled or situation where we must choose something unwished or refuse something desirable.

Conflicts have two big categories called inner and external conflicts. Inner conflicts are without interactions with other people and external conflicts involve more than one person.

Talking about inner conflicts there are three types.
Conflict between more than one desires where all desires cannot be fulfilled. For example someone is thinking about adopting a pet and wants to have both a dog and a cat but that is not possible knowing that a dog and a cat will not get along peacefully.
Another type of inner conflict that is most complicated is called avoidance and avoidance conflict. It is a situation where one must choose something from more than one alternative where none is desirable. For example studying is boring but still student do not want to get a bad grade, in this case student will have to choose one of unpleasant alternative either force himself to read books or get a bad grade.
And most common inner conflict is desire against avoidance. In this case a desire would bring something unpleasant. For example we all love junk food but still we all are trying to avoid obesity and health problems.

Another category of conflicts is external conflicts which include interpersonal, group, military, resources, workplace conflicts etc. During external conflicts there is interference between different people’s motive. According to Thomas Kenneth there are five possible solutions to external conflicts.
Avoidance: is then one side begins to ignore and avoid conflict situation, in this case no one is wining and all participants of conflict are losing.
Accommodation: is then one side will give up and fulfill other side interests.
Competition: is then both sides of conflict are competing and in this case only one side can win.
Compromise: is then both sides give up a part of what it wanted, in this case no one is wining but still no one is losing everything.
Collaboration: is then both sides agrees to work together in order to find most agreeable solution.

Most easy way is to avoid conflict on the other hand it does not make conflict go away sooner or later it will reappear maybe just in a different form. Best way is try to deal with conflict immediate and collaborate with other side because that would create more positive environment for everyone.

References
R. Jusienė, A. Laurinavičius. Psichologija. Mykolo Romerio universitetas, 2007.
http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/fsap/conflict.html
http://www.three-peaks.net/annette/Solving.htm