What causes social conflicts. Social conflicts and ways to resolve them

Social conflict is a necessary condition for the development of society, the result of the incompatibility of the views of individuals. The conflict allows you to expose and solve the various problems of society, or reduce it to anarchy.

The heterogeneity of society, differences in position and well-being inevitably lead to the emergence and aggravation of social conflicts. Let us consider the basic concepts, essence and causes of social conflicts in more detail.

What it is

Social conflict is the result of the development of social contradictions, expressed in the confrontation of various social groups.

Such confrontation can arise in any social group. It can be called one of the necessary conditions for the development of society. After all, this process consists of conflicts and their overcoming.

The main source of social conflict is the very structure of society. The more complex it is, the more fragmented society is. There are new groups, social strata that have their own value systems, goals and methods for achieving them. All this leads to new conflicts.

At the same time, the complex structure of society offers numerous ways to resolve these conflicts, mechanisms for finding consensus. The main task of society is to minimize the possible negative consequences of social conflict and resolve the accumulated problems.

The life cycle of social conflict includes four stages:

1. pre-conflict situation. Its sign is the growth of tension in relations between the subjects.
2. Conflict.
3. Attempts to resolve the conflict.
4. The end of the confrontation and the post-conflict stage.

Essence and theory

The problem of social conflicts dates back many millennia. However, before Adam Smith, the whole problem was that some should rule, others should obey, and the state should manage.

Adam Smith was the first to point out the nature of conflict as a social problem. In his opinion, the social conflict is based on the class and economic struggle.

Since then, many theories have emerged to explain the essence of the contradictions:

1. According to adherents of socio-biological theory, the conflict nature of a person is explained by the aggression inherent in all animals.
2. Proponents of socio-psychological theory associate the emergence of social conflicts with overpopulation and other environmental factors. However, this theory does not explain at what point explicit conflict occurs.
3. According to functionalists, social conflict is a dysfunction in relation to society. In an ideal system, there should be no contradictions.

Causes of social conflict

At the heart of every conflict there are many obvious and hidden reasons. The main social prerequisites for contradictions are social inequality (there are always rich and poor, bosses and subordinates) and cultural heterogeneity (existence in society of different value orientations, behavioral systems, etc.).

There are many reasons why social conflicts arise. Consider the main ones:

1. ideological reasons. There is a certain system of ideas and values ​​that determines dominance and subordination. Participants may have different views on this system.
2. Various value orientations. Each participant in the conflict, whether an individual or a social group, has its own set of value orientations. Each set is strictly individual, and often opposite to the same set of another participant. The ultimate goal - the satisfaction of their own needs - is the same for many participants. As a result, there is an interaction of opposing interests (everyone wants to satisfy their own needs) and a conflict arises.
3. Social and economic reasons. Associated with the distribution of wealth and power, if one of the participants seems to have been cheated. This is one of the most common causes of social conflict.
4. Other reasons: the difference in tasks, the introduction of innovations, rivalry between groups and leaders.

Structure

The conflict is a multidimensional process with a developed structure. Each specific conflict situation has its own objective and subjective components.

They can be considered in more detail, starting with the objective ones:

1. Subjects of the conflict. Every social conflict is, first of all, the inability to reach mutual understanding between specific people. This is true for interstate conflict as well as for family conflict. In each case, the main actors are people acting, depending on the situation, as individuals or legal entities.
2. Thing. This is the contradiction that lies at the heart of a particular conflict, because of which there is a clash of interests of the participants.
3. An object. This is a certain value that all subjects strive to receive. The form can be any: material (money or other resource), spiritual (any idea), social (power). In each case, it is not easy to single out the object of conflict. It is not always found in its pure form, it is often a mixture of at least two forms.
4. Micro environment and macro environment. These are the conditions under which the parties have to act. The microenvironment is the immediate environment of the participants. The macroenvironment is belonging to certain social groups.

In each separate conflict there are also subjective components. This is the tactics and strategy of behavior of each side, the perception of a certain situation, etc.

Types and classification

Various sociological schools put forward their own classifications of conflicts. The most common typology is:

1. For reasons of occurrence. The reasons can be both objective and subjective.
2. According to the peculiarities of social differences. Such conflicts differ in the time of action and the nature of disagreements, the sphere of manifestation, etc.
3. The impact of conflict on others. Forms of conflicts differ in duration (short-term, medium-term, long-term), severity, scale.
4. According to the characteristics of specific participants. The conflict can be collective, inter-ethnic, etc.
5. Based on openness there are hidden and open social conflicts. Hidden conflicts do not entail external aggression in relation to the opponent and are held using indirect methods of influence. In open conflicts, there are obvious clashes - quarrels, disputes.
6. The most well-known division of conflicts into horizontal and vertical. This division occurs based on the position of the opponents. Vertical conflict happens between the boss and subordinates, horizontal - between people who are on the same level. First of all, these are labor disputes.
7. Based on the composition of the participants, share interpersonal types of conflicts, group, organizational, political, etc. In interpersonal conflicts, confrontation takes place between people who do not belong to any social community. In group - between separate social groups. Political conflicts can arise both within society (domestic political) and at the international level (foreign political).

It is worth considering that any attempt to classify conflicts is rather conditional. In practice, one can meet, for example, a vertical closed interpersonal conflict with a unique set of properties.

Role and functions

In public life, social conflict plays a twofold role. On the one hand, thanks to the conflict, society develops, certain agreements and agreements are reached. On the other hand, the consequences of an open conflict for society are unpredictable.

The conflict has many private functions. Through the adaptive function, individuals adapt to new circumstances. Thanks to the innovative feature, the awareness of the participants about the pros and cons of each other is increased.

In general, the functions of social conflict can be divided into two large groups:

1. constructive. They include positive functions: defusing tension, carrying out social changes, etc.
2. destructive. These include functions of a negative nature: the destabilization of relations that have developed in a certain social environment, the destruction of a social community.

Effects

The consequences of conflict can be viewed from two opposing points of view:

1. Functionalist.
2. Sociological.

Functionalists view conflict as a negative phenomenon that destabilizes society. They highlight the following possible consequences:

1. destabilization of society. The emergence of chaotic processes with unpredictable results. Control mechanisms stop working.
2. Distracting the participants in the conflict from other problems, focusing on certain interests and defeating the enemy.
3. Impossibility of further cooperation with the opponent.
4. The removal of participants in the conflict from society, dissatisfaction, etc.

Adherents of the sociological point of view, for example, Dahrendorf, believe that, under certain conditions, positive results can be achieved. Positive consequences include:

1. Resolving a problem in an optimal way that all stakeholders can accept. This will bring people together and strengthen their mutual understanding. If each participant feels that he is involved in solving the problem, he will participate in the implementation of this solution.
2. Renovation of existing and creation of new mechanisms and institutions. New social groups are formed, a certain balance of interests is maintained. This provides relative stability.
3. Additional incentives for participants. Managed conflict between people leads to the development of new ideas and solutions. Without participating in conflicts, a person ceases to develop.

Resolution paths

To analyze the ways of resolving social conflicts, you need to understand how the participants in the conflict behave. The strategy for resolving social conflict depends on their characteristics.

• Evasion– the participant has no desire to conflict, actively work to achieve their own goals. Such a participant may himself withdraw from the conflict.
• fixture. Participants are ready to cooperate, meet the other side halfway and at the same time work on their own interests.
• Confrontation. The interests of other parties are not taken into account, each participant seeks only to achieve his own goals and impose his opinion on others.
• Cooperation. Each participant works on the implementation of their interests. However, he is ready to work on finding a solution to the conflict in a team with other participants.
• Compromise. This style is based on concessions. Each participant is limited to the partial achievement of their goals and is inferior to the others in some way. This style is preferable to the rest, because. allows partially satisfying the desires of all interested parties.

The result of the conflict can be a complete or partial solution. The first option means the complete elimination of the causes of the conflict. In the second case, only part of the problems is solved, the rest may appear later.

Examples in society from history

A classic example of social conflict is the student strike in France in 1968. The reasons are the discrepancy between the values ​​of the students of the sixties and the old French general de Gaulle.

Another reason is the "Fouche reform", which consisted in the accelerated training of specialists without eliminating shortcomings in the educational system. The students were followed by mass strikes of workers, employees and engineers.

Ultimately, the president achieved a partial resolution of the conflict, using the population's fear of another revolution. But a year later he resigned.

Video: Social conflict and ways to solve it

social conflict

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

social conflict- conflict caused by differences social groups or personalities with a difference in opinions and views, the desire to take a leading position; manifestation of social connections of people.

In the field of scientific knowledge, there is a separate science dedicated to conflicts - conflictology. Conflict is a clash of opposing goals, positions, views of the subjects of interaction. At the same time, the conflict is the most important side of the interaction of people in society, a kind of cell of social life. This is a form of relationship between potential or actual subjects of social action, the motivation of which is due to opposing values ​​and norms, interests and needs. The essential side of social conflict is that these subjects act within the framework of some wider system of connections, which is modified (strengthened or destroyed) under the influence of the conflict. If interests are multidirectional and opposite, then their opposition will be found in a mass of very different assessments; they themselves will find a “field of collision” for themselves, while the degree of rationality of the claims put forward will be very conditional and limited. It is likely that at each of the stages of the development of the conflict, it will be concentrated at a certain point of intersection of interests.

Causes of social conflicts

The reason for social conflicts lies in the definition itself - it is a confrontation between individuals or groups pursuing socially significant goals. It occurs when one side of the conflict seeks to implement its interests to the detriment of the other.

Types of social conflicts

Political conflicts- these are conflicts, the cause of which is the struggle for the distribution of power, dominance, influence and authority. They arise from various interests, rivalries and struggles in the process of acquiring, distributing and exercising political and state power. Political conflicts are directly related to winning leading positions in the institutions and structures of political power.

Main types of political conflicts:

conflict between branches of government;

conflict within parliament;

conflict between political parties and movements;

conflict between various parts of the administrative apparatus, etc.

Socio-economic conflicts- these are conflicts caused by means of subsistence, the use and redistribution of natural and other material resources, the level of wages, the use of professional and intellectual potential, the level of prices for goods and services, access and distribution of spiritual goods.

National-ethnic conflicts- these are conflicts that arise in the course of the struggle for the rights and interests of ethnic and national groups.

According to the classification of typology by D. Katz, there are:

conflict between indirectly competing subgroups;

conflict between directly competing subgroups;

conflict within the hierarchy over rewards.

The main aspects of social conflicts.

Social heterogeneity of society, difference in income levels, power, prestige, etc. often lead to conflict. Conflicts are an integral part of social life. This causes close attention of sociologists to the study of conflicts.

A conflict is a clash of opposing goals, positions, opinions and views of opponents or subjects of interaction. Radugin A.A., Radugin K.A. Sociology. - M.: Center, 1996., p. 117. The English sociologist E. Gidens gave the following definition of conflict: “By conflict, I mean a real struggle between active people or groups, regardless of what the origins of this struggle are, its methods and means mobilized by each of the parties.” Conflict is a ubiquitous phenomenon. Every society, every social group, social community is subject to conflicts to one degree or another. The wide distribution of this phenomenon and the heightened attention to it by society and scientists contributed to the emergence of a special branch of sociological knowledge - conflictology. Conflicts are classified according to their structure and research areas.

Social conflict is a special type of interaction of social forces, in which the action of one side, faced with the opposition of the other, makes it impossible to realize its goals and interests.

The main subjects of the conflict are large social groups. The prominent conflictologist R. Dorendorf refers to the subjects of the conflict three types of social groups. one). Primary groups are direct participants in the conflict. Which are in a state of interaction regarding the achievement of objectively or subjectively incompatible goals. 2). Secondary groups - tend to be uninvolved directly in the conflict. But they contribute to fueling the conflict. At the stage of exacerbation, they can become the primary side. 3). Third forces are interested in resolving the conflict.

The subject of the conflict is the main contradiction because of which and for the sake of resolving which the subjects enter into confrontation.

Conflictology has developed two models for describing the conflict: procedural and structural. The procedural model focuses on the dynamics of the conflict, the emergence of a conflict situation, the transition of the conflict from one stage to another, the forms of conflict behavior, and the final outcome of the conflict. In the structural model, the emphasis shifts to an analysis of the conditions that underlie the conflict and determine its dynamics. The main purpose of this model is to establish the parameters that influence the conflict behavior and the specification of the forms of this behavior.

Much attention is paid to the concept of “strength” of the participants in conflicts. Strength is the ability of the opponent to realize his goal against the will of the interaction partner. It includes a number of heterogeneous components:

Physical force, including technical means used as an instrument of violence;

An informationally civilized form of the use of force, requiring the collection of facts, statistical data, analysis of documents, the study of expert examination materials in order to ensure complete knowledge about the essence of the conflict, about one's opponent in order to develop a strategy and tactics of behavior, use materials that discredit the opponent, etc.;

Social status, expressed in socially recognized indicators (income, level of power, prestige, etc.);

Other resources - money, territory, time limit, number of supporters, etc.

The stage of conflict behavior is characterized by the maximum use of the strength of the participants in conflicts, the use of all the resources at their disposal.

An important influence on the development of conflict relations is exerted by the surrounding social environment, which determines the conditions in which conflict processes take place. The environment can act either as a source of external support for the participants in the conflict, or as a deterrent, or as a neutral factor.

1.1. Classification of conflicts.

All conflicts can be classified depending on the areas of disagreement as follows.

1. Personal conflict. This zone includes conflicts occurring within the personality, at the level of individual consciousness. Such conflicts may be associated, for example, with excessive dependence or role tension. This is a purely psychological conflict, but it can be a catalyst for the emergence of group tension if the individual seeks the cause of his internal conflict among the members of the group.

2. Interpersonal conflict. This zone includes disagreements between two or more members of the same group or groups.

3. Intergroup conflict. A certain number of individuals forming a group (that is, a social community capable of joint coordinated action) come into conflict with another group that does not include individuals from the first group. This is the most common type of conflict, because individuals, starting to influence others, usually try to attract supporters to themselves, form a group that facilitates actions in the conflict.

4. Conflict of ownership. Occurs due to the dual membership of individuals, for example, when they form a group within another, larger group, or when an individual is simultaneously in two competitive groups pursuing the same goal.

5. Conflict with the external environment. The individuals who make up the group are under pressure from outside (primarily from cultural, administrative and economic norms and regulations). Often they come into conflict with the institutions that support these norms and prescriptions.

According to their internal content, social conflicts are divided into rational and emotional. Rational conflicts include such conflicts that cover the sphere of reasonable, businesslike cooperation, redistribution of resources and improvement of the managerial or social structure. Rational conflicts are also encountered in the field of culture, when people are trying to free themselves from obsolete, unnecessary forms, customs and beliefs. As a rule, those participating in rational conflicts do not go to the personal level and do not form in their minds the image of the enemy. Respect for the opponent, recognition of his right to a certain amount of truth - these are the characteristic features of a rational conflict. Such conflicts are not sharp, protracted, since both sides strive, in principle, for the same goal - to improve relationships, norms, patterns of behavior, and a fair distribution of values. The parties come to an agreement, and as soon as the frustrating obstacle is removed, the conflict is resolved.

However, in the course of conflict interactions, clashes, the aggression of its participants is often transferred from the cause of the conflict to the individual. In this case, the initial cause of the conflict is simply forgotten and the participants act on the basis of personal hostility. Such a conflict is called emotional. Since the appearance of an emotional conflict, negative stereotypes appear in the minds of people participating in it.

The development of emotional conflict is unpredictable, and in the vast majority of cases they are uncontrollable. Most often, such a conflict stops after the appearance of new people or even new generations in the situation. But some conflicts (for example, national, religious) can transmit an emotional mood to other generations. In this case, the conflict continues for quite a long time.

1.2.Characteristics of conflicts.

Despite the numerous manifestations of conflict interactions in social life, they all have a number of common characteristics, the study of which makes it possible to classify the main parameters of conflicts, as well as to identify factors that affect their intensity. All conflicts are characterized by four main parameters: the causes of the conflict, the severity of the conflict, its duration and consequences. Considering these characteristics, it is possible to determine the similarities and differences in conflicts and the features of their course.

Causes of conflicts.

The definition of the concept of the nature of the conflict and the subsequent analysis of its causes is important in the study of conflict interactions, since the cause is the point around which the conflict situation unfolds. Early diagnosis of a conflict is primarily aimed at finding its real cause, which allows social control over the behavior of social groups at the pre-conflict stage.

Consequences of social conflict.

Conflicts, on the one hand, destroy social structures, lead to significant unreasonable expenditure of resources, and on the other hand, they are the mechanism that contributes to the solution of many problems, unites groups and, ultimately, serves as one of the ways to achieve social justice. The ambiguity in people's assessment of the consequences of conflict has led to the fact that sociologists involved in the theory of conflicts have not come to a common point of view about whether conflicts are beneficial or harmful to society.

Thus, many believe that society and its individual elements develop as a result of evolutionary changes, i.e. in the course of continuous improvement and the emergence of more viable social structures based on the accumulation of experience, knowledge, cultural patterns and the development of production, and therefore suggest that social conflict can only be negative, destructive and destructive.

Another group of scientists recognizes the constructive, useful content of any conflict, since as a result of conflicts new qualitative certainties appear. According to the supporters of this point of view, any finite object of the social world from the moment of its inception carries its own negation, or its own death. Upon reaching a certain limit or measure, as a result of quantitative growth, the contradiction that carries negation comes into conflict with the essential characteristics of this object, in connection with which a new qualitative certainty is formed.

Constructive and destructive ways of conflict depend on the characteristics of its subject: size, rigidity, centralization, relationship with other problems, level of awareness. The conflict escalates if:

competing groups increase;

it is a conflict over principles, rights, or personalities;

conflict resolution sets a meaningful precedent;

conflict is perceived as win-lose;

the views and interests of the parties are not connected;

the conflict is poorly defined, non-specific, vague. 11 Social conflict: modern research. Ed. N.L. Polyakova // Abstract collection. - M, 1991, p. 70.

A particular consequence of the conflict may be the strengthening of group interaction. Since interests and points of view within the group change from time to time, new leaders, new policies, new intra-group norms are needed. As a result of the conflict, new leadership, new policies and new norms can be quickly introduced. Conflict may be the only way out of a tense situation.

Conflict resolution.

An external sign of conflict resolution may be the end of the incident. It is a completion, not a temporary cessation. This means that conflict interaction between the conflicting parties is terminated. Elimination, termination of the incident is a necessary but not sufficient condition for resolving the conflict. Often, having stopped active conflict interaction, people continue to experience a frustrating state, to look for its causes. In this case, the conflict flares up again.

The resolution of social conflict is possible only when the conflict situation changes. This change can take many forms. But the most effective change in the conflict situation, which allows to extinguish the conflict, is considered to be the elimination of the cause of the conflict. With a rational conflict, the elimination of the cause inevitably leads to its resolution, but for an emotional conflict, the most important moment in changing the conflict situation should be considered a change in the attitudes of rivals relative to each other.

It is also possible to resolve a social conflict by changing the requirements of one of the parties: the opponent makes concessions and changes the goals of his behavior in the conflict.

A social conflict can also be resolved as a result of the depletion of the resources of the parties or the intervention of a third force that creates an overwhelming preponderance of one of the parties, and, finally, as a result of the complete elimination of the rival. In all these cases, a change in the conflict situation will certainly occur.

Modern conflictology has formulated the conditions under which a successful resolution of social conflicts is possible. One of the important conditions is the timely and accurate analysis of its causes. And this involves the identification of objectively existing contradictions, interests, goals. An analysis carried out from this point of view makes it possible to outline the “business zone” of the conflict situation. Another, no less important condition is the mutual interest in overcoming contradictions on the basis of mutual recognition of the interests of each of the parties. To do this, the parties to the conflict must seek to free themselves from hostility and mistrust towards each other. To achieve such a state is possible on the basis of a goal that is meaningful to each group on a broader basis. The third, indispensable condition is the joint search for ways to overcome the conflict. Here it is possible to use a whole arsenal of means and methods: direct dialogue of the parties, negotiations with the participation of a third party, etc.

Conflictology has developed a number of recommendations, following which accelerates the process of conflict resolution: 1) during negotiations, priority should be given to discussion of substantive issues; 2) the parties must strive to relieve psychological and social tension; 3) the parties must demonstrate mutual respect for each other; 4) negotiators should strive to turn a significant and hidden part of the conflict situation into an open one, publicly and convincingly revealing each other's positions and deliberately creating an atmosphere of public equal exchange of views; 5) all negotiators should show a tendency to

2. Social conflicts in modern society.

In modern conditions, in essence, each sphere of public life gives rise to its own specific types of social conflicts. Therefore, we can talk about political, national-ethnic, economic, cultural and other types of conflicts.

Political conflict - it is a conflict over the distribution of power, dominance, influence, authority. This conflict can be covert or open. One of the brightest forms of its manifestation in modern Russia is the conflict between the executive and legislative authorities in the country, which lasted throughout the entire time after the collapse of the USSR. The objective causes of the conflict have not been eliminated, and it has entered a new stage of its development. From now on, it is being implemented in new forms of confrontation between the President and the Federal Assembly, as well as the executive and legislative authorities in the regions.

occupy a prominent place in modern life national-ethnic conflicts- conflicts based on the struggle for the rights and interests of ethnic and national groups. Most often, these are conflicts related to status or territorial claims. The problem of cultural self-determination of certain national communities also plays a significant role.

play an important role in modern life in Russia. socio-economic conflicts, that is, conflicts over the means of subsistence, the level of wages, the use of professional and intellectual potential, the level of prices for various benefits, over real access to these benefits and other resources.

Social conflicts in various spheres of public life can take the form of intra-institutional and organizational norms and procedures: discussions, requests, adoption of declarations, laws, etc. The most striking form of expression of the conflict are various kinds of mass actions. These mass actions are realized in the form of presentation of demands to the authorities by dissatisfied social groups, in the mobilization of public opinion in support of their demands or alternative programs, in direct actions of social protest. Mass protest is an active form of conflict behavior. It can be expressed in various forms: organized and spontaneous, direct or indirect, taking on the character of violence or a system of non-violent actions. Mass protests are organized by political organizations and so-called “pressure groups” that unite people for economic purposes, professional, religious and cultural interests. Forms of expressing mass protests can be such as: rallies, demonstrations, picketing, civil disobedience campaigns, strikes. Each of these forms is used for specific purposes, is an effective means of solving very specific problems. Therefore, when choosing a form of social protest, its organizers must be clearly aware of what specific goals are set for this action and what is the public support for certain demands.

Sociology as a science. Tutorial

X. SOCIAL CONFLICTS

1. The concept, causes and types of social conflicts. 2. Bulk actions. social movements.

Basic concepts Anomie, conflict society, antagonisms, crisis of the system, counteractions, violation of the system stabilization mechanism, consensus, neutralization of the opponent, bifurcation, compromise, latency, business zone, post-conflict syndrome, maximalism of the parties, frustration, public mood. The purpose of the information: to give students an idea of ​​the nature, dynamics, subjects and ways of resolving social conflicts in society.

Recommendations The first question. When studying the nature, essence and participants of social conflicts, find their definitions in the literature, and try to find out the motives and prerequisites for the ripening of social tension in society using specific examples of conflict systems existing in the world (societies, groups, social institutions). Carefully study the foundations of the theory of modern Western conflictology and try to carry out a comparative analysis of the most common conflict paradigms in sociology. When studying the patterns of functioning of social systems, focus on the concept of a crisis society and consider the processes of integration and disintegration, differentiation of interests, stratification, functional and dysfunctional systems, spontaneous and purposeful conflicts. Particular attention should be paid to the concepts of the conflict society of K. Marx, R. Dahrendorf, L. Koser and others. forces of modern formal and informal mass movements. It is useful to analyze the hierarchy of mass movements and the current state of mass consciousness on the basis of studying the political life of Russian society.

The concept, causes and types of social conflicts Conflicts have always been an integral part of society. Conflict is a clash between people or large social groups, which acts as a ubiquitous phenomenon, i.e. Every society is subject to conflict. They can lead to the destruction not only of economic or political systems, but of society itself as a whole. Therefore, a special branch has been formed within sociology - conflictology, which faces a number of scientific and practical problems. Is it possible to have a society without conflicts? The question is about 1) the causes of conflicts; 2) about the role of conflicts in the life of society; 3) about the possibilities of regulating social conflicts. The term "conflict" comes from the Latin word conflictus - clash. The concept of "social conflict" is a complex phenomenon. This is a certain form of social interaction between people in the form of a collision of opposing goals, values, views, needs, interests. Conflict is the simultaneous deployment of action and counter-action. This is an extremely complex action of two or more parties united by opposition. The term "social conflict" was coined by the German sociologist Georg Simmel, who called it a "dispute". M. Weber called the conflict "struggle". The English sociologist Anthony Giddens defines conflict as "a real struggle between acting people or groups." The Americans T. Parsons and R. Merton considered conflict as a dysfunction of individual structures in the social system. L. Koser considers conflict to be the most important element of social interaction, which contributes to the strengthening or destruction of social ties. In general, in sociology conflict is defined as a form of interaction between different social communities. The nature of conflicts is due to the presence in society of objective and subjective contradictions that permeate the economy, politics and culture. Simultaneous exacerbation of all contradictions creates a crisis in society, a violation of the system's stabilization mechanism. A manifestation of the crisis of society is the growth of social tension, the clash of classes, nations, the masses with the state. But objective contradictions should not be identified with conflict. Contradictions give rise to open and closed conflicts only when they are recognized by people as incompatible interests and needs. Social conflict is a way of interaction between individuals, communities, social institutions, due to their material and spiritual interests, certain social status, power. The dynamics of social systems is a process that is realized in various types of social interaction: competition, adaptation, assimilation, conflict. Note that the conflict here acts as a kind of connecting transitional form, say, to competition (competition), consensus. Consensus is one of the methods for making economic, socio-political and other decisions, which consists in developing an agreed position that does not cause fundamental objections from the parties. One way or another, conflict has been and remains a constant companion of social life, as much in line with the nature of society and man as consensus. The legalization of conflictology in our country was prompted by the situation when the country was literally overwhelmed by conflicts, when we were not ready for the fact that "democracy is a conflict." A special role belongs to the sociological aspect of the study (conflict and society), political science (conflict and politics). But the socio-psychological aspect is becoming increasingly important in terms of studying the dynamics of the conflict. We single out two main concepts of social conflict. The "concept of a positive-functional conflict" (G. Simmel, L. Koser, R. Dahrendorf, K. Boulding, J. Galtung, and others) is sociological in its own right. It considers conflict as a problem of communication and interaction. Its social role is stabilization. But the stability of a society depends on the number of conflicting relations existing in it and the types of connections between them. The more different conflicts intersect, the more complex the group differentiation of society, the more difficult it is to divide all people into two opposing camps that do not have any common values ​​and norms. This means that the more conflicts that are independent of each other, the better for the unity of society. This concept highlights "competition" as a key concept, and the interests of the parties are considered the motivating force of the conflict. His process is made up of a set of reactions to the outside world. All collisions are reactive processes. Consequently, the essence of the conflict lies in the stereotyped reactions of social actors. But conflict resolution is thought of as "manipulating" behavior without radically changing the social order. This is mainly the difference between Marxist conflictology (the theory of class struggle and social revolution) and the principle of "scarcity" (i.e., limited benefits, scarcity), which is characteristic of Western interpretations of the causes of conflict. The positive-functional concept considers conflict as "a struggle for values ​​and claims for a certain social status, power. and insufficient for all material and spiritual benefits, a struggle in which the goals of the parties to the conflict are to neutralize, damage or destroy the "rival". in the concept of conflict. "social disease" T. Parsons was the first to speak loudly about the conflict as a pathology, identified the following foundations of stability: satisfaction of needs, social control, the coincidence of social motivations with social attitudes. E. Mayo put forward - the idea of ​​"peace in industry", describing the conflict as a "dangerous social disease", acting as the antithesis of cooperation and balance. Supporters of this concept (among them primarily the Swedish ecologist Hans Brodal and the German sociologist Friedrich Glasl) proceed from the fact that two opposite tendencies manifest themselves in the historical process. The first is emancipation, the desire to be free (man - woman, younger and older generation, employees - entrepreneurs, developed and developing countries, East - West). The disease begins when emancipation leads to selfishness, and this is the negative side of individualism. The second is an increasing mutual dependence, containing a tendency towards collectivism. The disease begins when interdependence turns into collectivism, i.e. when a certain system wins, allowing you to neglect a person as an individual. The disease has a wide spectrum, capturing the individual, social organisms, groups, organizations, communities, nations, entire peoples. What are the aspects of the sociological diagnosis of the conflict? First of all, these are the origins of the conflict (not the causes, but what it starts with); then the biography of the conflict (its history, roots, background against which it progresses, crises, turning points); parties (subjects) of the conflict, depending on which the level of social complexity of any conflict is determined; position and relations of the parties, formal and informal dependencies, roles, personal relationships; initial attitude towards the conflict (hopes and expectations of the parties). X. Brodal and F. Glasl distinguish three main phases of the conflict. 1. From hope to fear (discussions, withdrawal, arguments taken to extremes, loss of communication, initiation of action). 2. From fear to loss of appearance (formation of false images of the enemy, strengthening of leadership and authoritarianism, pushing for self-disclosure, intimidation and panic). 3. Loss of will - the path to violence (limited destruction and violence, destruction of the nervous (management) center, finally, total destruction, including self-destruction). The escalation of the conflict is a kind of deadly process, but it can be overcome quickly, disappear altogether, if the main contradiction of the parties is eliminated. In any conflict, there is a struggle between the tendencies of egoism and "collectivism". Finding a balance between them means finding a way to resolve the conflict and grow in your human essence (it's always an effort!). ; Extremeness (its researchers - M. Weber, E. Durkheim, L. Sorokin, N. Kondratiev, I. Prigozhin, N. Moiseev, etc.) occurs when the very existence of the social system is threatened within the framework of this quality and is explained by the action of extreme factors. An extreme situation is associated with the emergence of a "bifurcation state" (lat. bifurcus - bifurcation), that is, a state of dynamic chaos and the emergence of opportunities for the innovative development of the system. Under these conditions, the parameters change, and boundary (marginal) states arise. As a result, the effect of "detection of the entity" occurs. Its function is to stabilize the system in response to extreme forces. When leaving the dynamic chaos, it is necessary to have a leader (at the group level) or a dominant motivation (at the individual level), which carry out the target function of the survival of the social system. Sociologists see two options for getting out of an extreme situation. The first is a catastrophe associated with the collapse of the core of the system and the destruction of subsystems. The second is adaptation (compromise, consensus), the object of which is group contradictions and interests. To analyze the dynamics of the social system, the concept of "extreme situation cycle" is introduced. The cycle is associated with a minimum of time for decision-making, with a maximum of information about events, with a maximum of efficiency (mobilization of forces, abilities, resources), with a minimum of errors.

The concept of social conflict- much more capacious than it might seem at first. Let's try to figure it out.

In Latin, conflict means "collision". In sociology conflict- this is the highest stage of contradictions that can arise between people or social groups, as a rule, this clash is based on opposing goals or interests of the parties to the conflict. There is even a separate science dealing with the study of this issue - conflictology. For social science, social conflict is another form of social interaction between people and groups.

Causes of social conflicts.

Causes of social conflicts obvious from the definition social conflict- disagreements between people or groups that pursue some socially significant interests, while the implementation of these interests is to the detriment of the interests of the opposite side. The peculiarity of these interests is that they are somehow connected with each other by some phenomenon, object, etc. When the husband wants to watch football, and the wife wants to watch a TV series, the TV is the connecting object, which is alone. Now, if there were two TV sets, then interests would not have a connecting element; the conflict would not have arisen, or it would have arisen, but for a different reason (the difference in the size of the screen, or a more comfortable chair in the bedroom than a chair in the kitchen).

German sociologist Georg Simmel in his theories of social conflict stated that conflicts in society are inevitable because they are due to the biological nature of man and the social structure of society. He also suggested that frequent and short-lived social conflicts are beneficial to society, since, if resolved positively, they help members of society get rid of hostility towards each other and achieve understanding.

The structure of social conflict.

Structure of social conflict consists of three elements:

• the object of the conflict (that is, the specific cause of the conflict is the same TV mentioned earlier);
• subjects of the conflict (there may be two or more - for example, in our case, the third subject may be a daughter who wants to watch cartoons);
• incident (the reason for the start of the conflict, or rather its open stage - the husband switched to NTV + Football, and then it all started ...).

By the way, development of social conflict does not necessarily take place in an open stage: the wife may silently be offended and go for a walk, but the conflict will remain. In politics, this phenomenon is called a “frozen conflict”.

Types of social conflicts.

1. By the number of participants in the conflict:
   • intrapersonal (great interests for psychologists and psychoanalysts);
   • interpersonal (for example, husband and wife);
   • intergroup (between social groups: competing firms).
2. Direction of conflict:
   • horizontal (between people of the same level: worker against worker);
   • vertical (employee against superiors);
   • mixed (both those and others).
3. By functions of social conflict:
   • destructive (a fight on the street, a fierce argument);
   • constructive (fight in the ring according to the rules, intelligent discussion).
4. According to duration:
   • short-term;
   • protracted.
5. By permission:
   • peaceful or non-violent;
   • armed or violent.
6. Content of the problem:
   • economic;
   • political;
   • production;
   • household;
   • spiritual and moral, etc.
7. According to the nature of development:
   • spontaneous (unintentional);
   • intentional (planned in advance).
8. By volume:
   • global (World War II);
   • local (Chechen war);
   • regional (Israel and Palestine);
   • group (accountants against system administrators, sales managers against storekeepers);
   • personal (household, family).

Resolution of social conflicts.

The social policy of the state is in charge of resolving and preventing social conflicts. Of course, it is impossible to prevent all conflicts (two TVs per family!), but to anticipate and prevent global, local and regional conflicts is a paramount task.

Ways to resolve socialsconflicts:

1. Avoidance of conflict. Physical or psychological withdrawal from conflict. The disadvantage of this method is that the cause remains and the conflict is “frozen”.
2. Negotiation.
3. Use of intermediaries. Here everything depends on the experience of the intermediary.
4. Postponement. Temporary surrender of positions for the accumulation of forces (methods, arguments, etc.).
5. Arbitration, litigation, third party resolution.

Conditions necessary for successful conflict resolution:

• determine the cause of the conflict;
• determine the goals and interests of the conflicting parties;
• the parties to the conflict must be willing to overcome differences and resolve the conflict;
• identify ways to overcome the conflict.

As you can see, the social conflict has many faces: it is the mutual exchange of "courtesies" between the fans of "Spartak" and "CSKA", and family disputes, and the war in the Donbass, and the events in Syria, and the dispute between the boss and the subordinate, etc., and etc. Having studied the concept of social conflict and earlier the concept of the nation, in the future we will consider the most dangerous type of conflict -

History says that human civilization has always been accompanied by enmity. Some types of social conflicts affected a particular people, city, country or even continent. Smaller were the disagreements between people, but each species was a folk problem. So, already ancient people aspired to live in a world where such concepts as social conflict, their types and causes, would be unknown. The people did everything to realize the dreams of a society without conflicts.

As a result of painstaking and laborious work, a state began to be created, which was supposed to extinguish various types of social conflicts. To this end, a large number of regulatory laws have been issued. Years passed, and scientists continued to come up with models of an ideal society without conflicts. Of course, all these discoveries were only a theory, because all attempts were doomed to failure, and sometimes became the causes of even greater aggression.

Social conflict as part of the doctrine

Disagreements between people, as part of social relations, were highlighted by Adam Smith. In his opinion, it was the social conflict that was the reason why the population began to be divided into social classes. But there was also a positive side. After all, thanks to the conflicts that arose, the population could discover a lot of new things and find ways to help get out of the situation that had arisen.

German sociologists were sure that conflicts are characteristic of all peoples and nationalities. After all, in every society there are individuals who want to elevate themselves and their interests above their social environment. Therefore, there is a division of the level of human interest in a particular issue, as well as class inequality.

But American sociologists in their works mentioned that without conflicts, social life would be monotonous, devoid of interpersonal interaction. At the same time, only the members of the society themselves are able to kindle enmity, control it, and put it out in the same way.

Conflict and the modern world

Today, not a single day of human life is practically complete without a conflict of interests. Such skirmishes can affect absolutely any sphere of life. As a result, various types and forms of social conflict arise.

So, social conflict is the last stage of the clash of different views on one situation. Social conflict, the types of which we will consider next, can become a large-scale problem. So, because of not sharing interests or the opinions of others, family and even national contradictions appear. As a result, the type of conflict may change, depending on the scale of the action.

If you try to decipher the concept and types of social conflicts, you can clearly see that the meaning of this term is much broader than it seems initially. There are many interpretations of one term, because each nationality understands it in its own way. But it is based on the same meaning, namely the clash of interests, opinions and even goals of people. For a better perception, we can assume that any kind of social conflicts - this is another form of human relations in society.

Functions of social conflict

As you can see, the concept of social conflict and its components were defined long before modern times. It was then that the conflict was endowed with certain functions, thanks to which its significance for social society is clearly visible.

So there are several important functions:

1. Signal.
2. Informational.
3. Differentiating.
4. Dynamic.

The meaning of the first is immediately indicated by its name. Therefore, it is understandable that due to the nature of the conflict, it is possible to determine what state the society is in and what it wants. Sociologists are sure that if people start a conflict, then there are certain reasons and unresolved problems. Therefore, it is regarded as a kind of signal that it is urgent to act and do something.

Informational - has a meaning similar to the previous function. Information about the conflict is of great importance on the way to determining the causes of the occurrence. By processing such data, the government studies the essence of all events taking place in society.

Thanks to the third function, society acquires a certain structure. Thus, when a conflict arises that affects the public interest, even those who would previously prefer not to intervene take part in it. There is a division of the population into certain social groups.

The fourth function was discovered during the worship of the teachings of Marxism. It is believed that it is she who plays the role of the engine in all social processes.

Reasons why conflicts arise

The reasons are quite obvious and understandable, even if we consider only the definition of social conflicts. Everything is hidden precisely in different views on actions. Indeed, often some try to impose their ideas by all means, even if they cause damage to others. This happens when there are several options for using one item.

The types of social conflicts vary, depending on many factors, such as scale, theme, nature, and more. So, even family disagreements have the character of a social conflict. After all, when a husband and wife share a TV, trying to watch different channels, a dispute arises on the basis of a clash of interests. To solve such a problem, two TVs are needed, then there might not have been a conflict.

According to sociologists, conflicts in society cannot be avoided, because proving one's point of view is a natural desire of a person, which means that nothing can change this. They also concluded that social conflict, the types of which are not dangerous, can even be beneficial for society. After all, this is how people learn not to perceive others as enemies, become closer and begin to respect each other's interests.

Components of the conflict

Any conflict includes two mandatory components:

• the reason for the disagreement is called the object;
• people whose interests clashed in a dispute - they are also subjects.

There are no restrictions on the number of participants in the dispute;

The reason for the conflict may appear in the literature as an incident.

By the way, the conflict that has arisen does not always have an open form. It also happens that the clash of different ideas has become the cause of resentment, which is part of what is happening. This is how various types of socio-psychological conflicts arise, which have a latent form and can be called "frozen" conflicts.

Types of social conflicts

Knowing what a conflict is, what are its causes and components, we can distinguish the main types of social conflicts. They are defined by:

1. Duration and nature of development:

• temporary;
• long;
• randomly generated;
• specially organized.

2. Capture scale:

• global - concerning the whole world;
• local - affecting a separate part of the world;
• regional - between neighboring countries;
• group - between certain groups;
• personal - family conflict, dispute with neighbors or friends.

3. The goals of the conflict and methods of resolution:

• violent street fight, obscene scandal;
• wrestling by the rules, cultural conversation.

4. Number of participants:

• personal (occur in mentally ill people);
• interpersonal (clash of interests of different people, for example, brother and sister);
• intergroup (contradiction in the interests of different social associations);

• people of the same level;
• people of different social levels, positions;
• those and others.

There are many different classifications and divisions that are considered arbitrary. Thus, the first 3 types of social conflicts can be considered key.

Solving problems that cause social conflict

Reconciliation of hostile parties is the main task of the state legislature. It is clear that it is impossible to avoid all conflicts, but it is necessary to try to avoid at least the most serious ones: global, local and regional. Given the types of conflicts, social relations between the warring parties can be established in several ways.

Ways to resolve conflict situations:

1. An attempt to get away from the scandal - one of the participants can isolate themselves from the conflict, transferring it to a "frozen" state.

2. Conversation - it is necessary to discuss the problem that has arisen and jointly find its solution.

3. Involve a third party.

4. Postpone the dispute for a while. Most often this is done when the facts run out. The adversary yields to interests temporarily in order to collect more evidence of his innocence. Most likely, the conflict will resume.

5. Resolution of conflicts that have arisen through the courts, in accordance with the legal framework.

To reconcile the parties to the conflict, it is necessary to find out the cause, purpose and interest of the parties. Also important is the mutual desire of the parties to come to a peaceful resolution of the situation. Then you can look for ways to overcome the conflict.

Stages of conflict

Like any other process, the conflict has certain stages of development. The first stage is considered to be the time immediately before the conflict. It is at this moment that the collision of subjects occurs. Disputes arise because of different opinions about one subject or situation, but at this stage it is possible to prevent the incitement of an immediate conflict.

If one of the parties does not yield to the opponent, then the second stage will follow, which has the character of a debate. Here, each side is furiously trying to prove its case. Due to the great tension, the situation escalates and after a certain time passes into the stage of direct conflict.

Examples of social conflicts in world history

The main three types of social conflicts can be demonstrated by the examples of long-standing events that left their mark on the life of the population then and influenced modern life.

Thus, one of the most striking and well-known examples of global social conflict are the First and Second World Wars. Almost all existing countries took part in this conflict, in history these events remained the largest military-political clashes of interests. Because the war was fought on three continents and four oceans. Only in this conflict was the most terrible nuclear weapon used.

This is the strongest, and most importantly known example of global social conflicts. After all, peoples that were previously considered fraternal fought against each other. There are no more such terrible examples in world history.

Much more information is available directly about inter-regional and group conflicts. So, during the transition of power to the kings, the living conditions of the population also changed. Every year more and more public discontent grew, protests and political tensions appeared. Many moments did not suit the people, without clarifying which it was impossible to strangle the popular uprising. The more in tsarist Russia the authorities tried to crush the interests of the population, the more conflict situations on the part of disgruntled residents of the country intensified.

Over time, more and more people became convinced of the infringement of their interests, so the social conflict gained momentum and changed the opinions of others. The more people became disillusioned with the authorities, the closer the mass conflict approached. It was with such actions that most of the civil wars against the political interests of the country's leadership began.

Already during the reign of the kings, there were prerequisites for the beginning of social conflicts on the basis of dissatisfaction with political work. It is these situations that confirm the existence of problems that were caused by dissatisfaction with the existing standards of life. And it was the social conflict that was the reason to move on, to develop and improve politics, laws and government abilities.

Summing up

Social conflicts are an integral part of modern society. The disagreements that arose even under the tsarist regime are a necessary part of our current life, because, perhaps, it is thanks to those events that we have the opportunity, maybe not enough, but still it is better to live. It was only thanks to our ancestors that society moved from slavery to democracy.

Today, it is better to take personal and group types of social conflicts as a basis, examples of which are very often encountered in our lives. We face contradictions in family life, looking at simple everyday issues from different points of view, we defend our opinion, and all these events seem to be simple, ordinary things. That is why social conflict is so multifaceted. Therefore, everything that concerns him needs to be studied more and more.

Of course, everyone keeps saying that conflict is bad, that you can’t compete and live by your own rules. But, on the other hand, disagreements are not so bad, especially if they are resolved at the initial stages. After all, it is precisely because of the emergence of conflicts that society develops, moves forward and seeks to change the existing order. Even if the result leads to material and moral losses.

Everyone has an idea. Each person faced a situation of aggravation of relations with other people. Social conflicts - a concept that characterizes the situation of sharp corresponding contradictions. With this aggravation of relations, interests and beliefs collide, which is due to various reasons. Consider what are the components, varieties and functions of social conflicts.

The concept and types of social conflicts

A social conflict always contains a moment of collision, that is, there is a certain divergence, a contradiction of interests, positions of the parties. Opposite opinions are worn by the subjects of the conflict - the opposing sides. They seek to overcome the contradiction in one way or another, while each side wants to prevent the other from realizing its interests. in social psychology extends not only to Depending on the subject, conflicts are distinguished:

• intrapersonal;
• interpersonal;
• intergroup.

Also included in social conflicts is the concept of internal content, regarding which contradictions can be rational and emotional. In the first case, the confrontation is based on the sphere of reason. It usually involves the redesigning of social and managerial structures, as well as the liberation from unnecessary forms of cultural interaction. Emotional conflicts are characterized by a strong affective aspect, often by aggression and the transfer of appropriate reactions to subjects. Such a conflict is more difficult to resolve, since it affects the sphere of the personal and can hardly be resolved in rational ways.

Intergroup social conflicts: concept and functions

Social psychology considers mainly which can be divided into:

• socio-economic;
• international;
• ethnic;
• ideological;
• political;
• religious;
• military.

Each conflict has a flow dynamics, in accordance with this, intergroup clashes can occur spontaneously, planned, short-term or long-term, they can be controlled and uncontrollable, provoked or initiative.

It is impossible to consider conflicts only from a negative point of view. Positive functions are to accelerate the process of self-awareness, the assertion of certain values, the discharge of emotional intensity, etc. Social conflict indicates a problem that needs to be solved, which cannot simply be ignored. Thus, the collision contributes to the regulation of social relationships.

Ways to get out of a conflict situation

How can social conflicts be resolved? The concept of a way out of them is characterized by the end of the confrontation by various methods. Allocate:

• rivalry - upholding one's convictions to the last;
• adaptation - the adoption of someone else's point of view to the detriment of one's own;
• avoidance - leaving the conflict situation by any means;
• compromise - willingness to make concessions to resolve the situation;
• cooperation - the search for a solution that satisfies the interests of all parties to the conflict.

The latter method is the most constructive and desirable.