Man is a social being. He is constantly in various relationships with other people. People are united in groups according to different criteria: buyers, sellers, officials, fans, work collective, etc. Since all people are different, and each has his own point of view, misunderstanding inevitably arises within the group, which leads to an outbreak of conflict. But they should not be afraid, as recognized by social psychology - this is a great opportunity for development.
Concept of conflict
Conflict is a conflict of interests, reaching a strong emotional tension, as a result of which it becomes impossible to resolve the contradictions peacefully. Conflicts differ in motives and the number of people participating in them: they can be between individuals, between groups, etc. In addition, misunderstandings arise between people within the groups themselves, such clashes are called intra-group conflicts.
For most of his life, an adult is at work, where he interacts with colleagues and superiors. Therefore, most often a person is involved in the proceedings within the work collective. Sometimes personal hostility comes to extremes: litigation, damaged careers, destroyed families, etc. To get out of conflicts with the least losses it is necessary to know the specifics of intra-group conflicts.
Where is the lad, there is the treasure
This Russian proverb reflects a very important aspect of the functioning of any group. If translated into the language of psychology, then in the good work of the team, the socio-psychological climate that has developed within it is important. How comfortable it is for employees to work with each other, the better will be the result of the work performed. The specificity of intra-group conflicts also depends on the psychological state of employees.
The working atmosphere consists of many components. In social psychology, this is a common goal, solidarity in achieving results, ambitions of individuals and the group as a whole. Formal and informal roles of group members, intra-group norms and requirements, moral and ethical security. The degree of close relations within the team, the degree of satisfaction with their position. A personal or impersonal approach in leadership and more. It is unlikely that anyone succeeds in taking into account all possible variations in relationships between people and avoiding conflict, therefore, knowledge of the causes of the contradictions leads to an understanding of methods for resolving them.
You won’t be the whole sun
There are two main causes of intra-group conflicts. The first is a violation of the norms accepted in the team. A person needs society in order to realize himself, but at the same time he must obey the rules established by this society. Not always a person is able to meet expectations: due to the nature and goals pursued, due to incompetence and ignorance of the existence of restrictions.
The second main reason is the struggle for leadership. Despite the existence of a formal leader (boss), a person seeks to realize his ambitions either by taking the place of the informal leader who is considered to be an opinion, or to take the place of a formal leader by removing the person from his post. In addition, there are many other reasons: disagreement with the distribution of benefits (bonuses, gratitude, etc.), disagreement, envy or personal hostility, psychological incompatibility, erroneous actions, etc. It is clear that you will not be the sun, a priori a man, because of his imperfection, cannot be liked by everyone, the question arises: “How to find a compromise?” However, most conflicts can be avoided.
Do not be afraid of them ...
The classification of intra-group conflicts shows that any relationship can be resolved with the right position. Conflicts differ in the degree of influence on the change in the activity and composition of the team: constructive, destructive, stabilizing.
Constructive conflict makes you think about the correctness of the decisions made, your actions, etc. It contributes to the reassessment of values and provides a positive impetus for solving the problem at a qualitatively new level.
Destructive conflict destroys established relationships and norms, exacerbating the problem. It takes a lot of strength and energy, contributes to the growth of people involved in the conflict, which leads to an increase in negative emotions, actions and statements.
Stabilizing conflict, on the one hand, eliminates deviation from the norm, removing emotional stress, on the other hand, it maintains established norms.
Terms & Strategies
There are various methods and conditions for resolving intra-group conflicts. One of the most important conditions for overcoming a tense situation is the recognition by one or both sides of the contradiction that has arisen and the desire to resolve it. In addition, material, legal, moral, political and spiritual resources are needed. However, if the parties cannot agree, a third neutral party is invited to help.
Methods for resolving intra-group conflicts include: reconciliation, cooperation, compliance, avoidance, confrontation and competition, compromise. In addition, there are suppression strategies that apply to potentially destructive and meaningless conflicts: reducing the number of conflicting, establishing rules and regulations for the interaction of conflicting parties. Postponement strategy: interim measures designed to ease conflict. Later, when the right time comes, it becomes possible to resolve the conflict with "little blood." Examples of conflicts and their solution allow you to visually see strategies in action.
Neighbors
Among the residents of an apartment building there is an acute question of parking cars on the territory adjacent to the building. Residents were divided into two camps. One for putting cars in a free style. Others - for marking and strict observance of parking rules. If markup is done, then the question affects the financial, temporary and human resources: who, when and with what money will markup.
Decision. It is necessary to convene a meeting of residents and, on the basis of dialogue, make a compromise decision. Mark up part of the yard, and leave part for arbitrary parking. Among those who have an orderly parking, choose volunteers who will carry out the markup. The financial issue is also being resolved by a crumble with the release of those who spend their time working in the yard.
Employees
The situation is such that a team is needed to achieve the goal. But employees with the necessary qualifications experience hostile feelings towards each other. Instead of fruitful work, quarrels flare up out of the blue every day for the slightest reason.
It’s better to apply a suppression strategy. Allocate separate workplaces to employees, set a separate task for each employee. Appoint a curator who will regulate the work of all, and combine the results of separately solved tasks. Interaction of conflicting parties is minimized: workshops, where intermediate results are summarized and new tasks are distributed. The curator should be impartial to both parties, not to advertise the mistakes of the parties, but to encourage employees for successful decisions.
A family
Young family. The mother-in-law is unhappy as a young wife runs a household and brings up a small child, and constantly expresses her displeasure to her daughter-in-law and son. The conflict escalates, leading to two destructive outcomes: either the young are consolidating against a common enemy (mother-in-law), or it will come to a divorce. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the young girl has not yet fully mastered worldly wisdom, and her mother-in-law’s jealousy does not allow looking at the situation from the other side.
If both parties do not resolve the conflict, third party involvement is necessary. It may be a psychologist. Family conflicts are the most difficult, to resolve them requires a long time and patience. But there is one plus: only one side needs to go closer. If a young wife appreciates her husband, she will appreciate everything that is connected with him and, stepping over her pride, can go to reconciliation. If this fails, apply a deferral strategy.
As you know, there are at least two ways out of any hopeless situation, and if you want, you can find a way out of any conflict situation if you don’t go about your own egoism and pride.