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Conflict Resolution

Definition

Social conflict emerges when the aspirations, beliefs, or values held by one individual or group are frustrated by another individual or group. It emerges between parents and their children, between friends on a weekend outing, between colleagues at work, between groups from adjacent neighborhoods, or between rivaling teams within an organization. In fact, social conflict is part and parcel of any relationship and any social interaction between individuals or groups around the globe.

Conflict resolution refers to the process geared toward reaching an agreement in a dispute, debate, or any other form of conflict between two or more parties. It can take different forms: Participants may negotiate and attempt to solve their problems to mutual satisfaction, they may withdraw from the situation and avoid interacting with each other, they may fight and try to dominate their counterpart, or they may yield and give in to their adversary's position.

Conflict resolution is important because conflict can be very costly as well as very beneficial. Enduring hostility between parents damages their offspring's development, conflict in the workplace is estimated to absorb valuable time and energy, and ethnic conflict between groups or communities halts economic prosperity and may lead to famine, disease, and environmental disaster. But conflict can have positive consequences also: Adversaries may become more creative, and teams in organizations have been found to be more innovative when they have conflict. In addition, conflict can clear the air, clarify territorial boundaries, and increase mutual understanding. However, these positive outcomes emerge when conflict is relatively mild and managed in a constructive, businesslike manner. All too often and all too quickly, conflict escalates to exceedingly intense levels, and negative outcomes dominate—hence the importance of understanding and applying conflict resolution.

History and Background

The study of conflict and conflict resolution is broad and crosses disciplinary boundaries. Conflict resolution is studied in economics, law, business studies, sociology, psychology, communication sciences, and political sciences. It is part of the curriculum in biology, in history, and in theology. This multidisciplinary aspect makes it somewhat difficult to identify “the history” of conflict studies in social psychology. Nevertheless, three important developments serve as key sources of inspiration.

In 1954, social psychologist Muzafer Sherif and his colleagues published a study that later became known as the Robbers Cave experiment. At a Boys Scout of America camp held in Robbers Cave National Park (Oklahoma, United States), he allocated 22 normal, healthy boys unknown to each other into two subgroups. Over the course of several days, the two subgroups became increasingly hostile and competitive with one another. Apparently, simply dividing people into subgroups, in and of itself, induced competition and conflict. Furthermore, when the two subgroups needed each other—a delivery truck got stuck and only with the force of all the boys together was the truck pulled free—hostility reduced and more cooperative relationships between the two subgroups developed. Apparently, the presence of common goals reduced competitiveness between the two groups and facilitated conflict resolution. This insight formed the basis of ongoing research into intergroup relations and conflict resolution through the development of shared goals and social identity.

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