WHAT IS CONFLICT
AND
HOW IS IT RESOLVED?
The initiation of any type of conflict begins with the awareness of misalignment, and for that, there has to be knowledge of everything that affects the individual identity. Conflict begins with the self; it begins with the morals, values, boundaries, and the ability to communicate them efficiently for others to understand. When the seeds of conflict are planted, and the individual is not capable of prevention or removal, or if they are not equipped with awareness, then conflict grows. It spills into interpersonal relationships, group dynamics, community disarray, workplace problems, familial disagreements, and the list goes on.
Conflict, previously defined by founding theorists, emerges through:
“incompatible goals by different groups”(Ramsbotham, Woodhouse, & Miall, 2016, p. 34),
“perceived divergence of interest, a belief that the parties’ current aspirations are incompatible” ( (Pruitt & Kim, 2004, p.7-8),
“an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources ,and interference from others in achieving their goals” (Hocker & Wilmot, 2014, p. 13) and
“opposition between individuals and groups on the basis of competing interests, different identities, and/or differing attitudes”(Schellenberg, 1996, p. 8).
Therefore, conflict resolution must be:
Multi-level: analyzing conflict and proposing resolution and transformation techniques requires an understanding of the complex intertwined nature of conflict. Conflict can be at multiple levels: interpersonal, intrapersonal, intergroup, domestic, and international. Although conflict can be diagnosed as an aforementioned type, the causes and consequences are not bound by typology or level. The complexity of resolution, therefore, is a result of the complexity of the deep-rooted issues that form conflict.
Multidisciplinary: Conflict exists across all platforms, disciplines, professions, and, in short, anywhere there is human interaction. Therefore, the complexity of human nature calls for knowledge from multiple disciplines, such as international relations, psychology, sociology, and political science.
Multicultural: Conflict resolution must be inclusive and diverse; it should be parallel to the global population. The cultural norms, traditions, and values that are present across the world offer numerous perspectives that illuminate the nature of conflict, both internal and external.
Both analytic and normative: Good conflict resolution takes into account the numbers and the story of the causes of conflict. Statistics should be combined with the how and why in order to truly understand, diagnose, and resolve the conflict at hand.
Both theoretical and practical: Conflict resolution uses many theories to analyze the current situation or conflict but without practice, resolution will remain theoretical. The inclusion of practice allows for trial and error while leading the way towards progression of, both, theories and practice. (Ramsbotham et al., 2016, p. 10)