Conflict. Stages of conflict. Stages of conflict development and resolution

Sociology and related sciences

A lot of scientists of various specialties study various aspects of human life. This is psychology, which includes several areas, anthropology, philosophy, as well as economics and sociology. The latter is a relatively young science, because it became independent only in the 19th century. And she studies what happens to ordinary people every day - the process of their interactions. One way or another, all members of society have to communicate with each other. And what happens in this case, how people behave in certain situations (from the point of view of others) is the main subject of interest of sociology. By the way, despite its relatively short history, this science has managed to develop sufficiently and branch out into several schools and movements that consider different phenomena from different points of view. Different views and opinions make it possible to form a more or less complete picture, although active research is still ongoing, because society is changing, new phenomena are observed in it, while others become outdated and become a thing of the past.

Social interactions

There are always certain processes taking place in society that affect a certain number of people. There are social interactions that are related to each other. They can always be recognized by a number of signs:

• they are objective, that is, they have goals and reasons;
• they are expressed externally, that is, they can be observed from the outside;
• they are situational and change depending on the situation;
• finally, they express the subjective interests or intentions of the participants.

The interaction process does not always occur through verbal means of communication, and this is worth considering. In addition, it is characterized by feedback in one form or another, although it may not always be noticeable. By the way, the laws of physics do not apply here, and not every action provokes some kind of response - such is human nature.

Sociologists distinguish three basic forms of social interactions: cooperation, or cooperation, competition and conflict. They all have the same right to exist and arise constantly, even if it is imperceptible. The latter form can be observed in different forms and among different numbers of people. And to some extent it is even dealt with by a separate science - conflictology. After all, this form of interaction can look different and have a very different nature.

Development of the conflict

The development of a conflict under normal conditions goes through three stages:

• pre-conflict;
• conflict;
• post-conflict.

Each of them in turn is divided into phases. Any stage and phase should be considered only as a certain stage in the movement, the dynamics of the conflict, indicating its connection with the source of tension in social relations and with the confrontation of the opposing parties.

In the scheme of the emergence, development and interrelation of conflict elements, both structure and process, the organization is put at the forefront - an association of people engaged in joint activities and realizing both common and personally significant goals.

Pre-conflict stage

Any organization, including an economic one, cannot do without internal tension, without contradictions and clashes in interpersonal and intergroup relations, without that which, due to objective and subjective reasons, becomes a source of conflict. In other words, any conflict is actually preceded by a certain confluence of circumstances in which there are potential parties to the confrontation, as well as people themselves with their own needs, interests and motives - possible subjects of conflict behavior.

the pre-conflict stage is prepared . Its initial, initial phase is a conflict situation, which reveals opponents and the causality of the conflict. But identifying the opposing parties with their incompatible interests and possible fears, identifying the subject of disagreement and the divergence of positions occupied by the subjects is not yet a conflict, but only an equilibrium state, a circumstance that may precede confrontation.

In order for a situation to turn into a conflict, a reason is required, some actions are needed that bring the parties involved in the conflict situation into motion. Such actions mean a collision, an incident - the second phase of the pre-conflict stage. Only together a conflict situation and an incident form a conflict.

Example

Thus, in a capital trading company that was facing a significant reduction in staff, the direct parties to the conflict situation were the company's management and employees, whose names were included in the list of those subject to dismissal. The incidents in this case were the latter's appeals to the company's management for clarification and to the labor dispute commission with the prospect of taking the case to court.

Consequently, a conflict situation arises before the incident; it can be created both objectively (outside the will and desire of people), due to developing circumstances, and subjectively, due to motives of behavior, deliberate aspirations of those opposing the second. A conflict situation (usually in an open form) can persist without leading to an incident or turning into a conflict. The incident, therefore, depends entirely on the situation; without it, it simply cannot happen. It is also important that a conflict situation and incident can be either provoked, pre-planned, or spontaneous, arising spontaneously.

A conflict situation often arises, escalates and moves into the incident phase due to the fact that those working together do not want to listen and hear each other, and do not always have the skills to express their thoughts, their attitude to this or that fact clearly and clearly.

Conflict stage

The first phase of the actual conflict stage , which occurs after the incident, is distinguished by the fact that the parties attack each other, causing retaliatory actions and counteraction. There is an inevitable exchange of blows, the purpose of which is to attack the opponents’ positions and neutralize the threat from them. Emotionally, such behavior is very often accompanied by an increase in aggressiveness, a transition from prejudice and hostility to psychological incompatibility and outright hostility.

This phase of conflict behavior, leading to increased confrontation, at the same time stimulates the onset of a moment of “revaluation of values”, taking into account the changes that have occurred in the social environment, positions and intentions of the parties.

The phase of choosing ways for further interaction between opponents begins:

• or, given the current balance of power, seek reconciliation, reduce the level of tension in relations, make concessions and thus end the conflict (transferring it again into a hidden form in order to subsequently return to the original conflict situation);
• or escalation, continuation of the conflict, bringing it to a higher degree of aggravation.

As the conflict continues, the process of confrontation naturally intensifies, the opposing sides mobilize additional forces and means, resources and counter-resources. Things can reach an extreme point, a deadlock situation, when confrontation really threatens to turn into a self-destructive action. Awareness by the conflicting parties of the danger of this situation ultimately leads them to rethink their goals and interests, and revise their strategy and tactics of behavior. At the initiative of the participants in the conflict itself or an outside force interested in ending the conflict, measures are taken to stop the confrontation, direct the conflict into a mutually acceptable framework, and resolve it in one way or another.

On the part of those interested in resolving the conflict, there must be a willingness to determine a strategic line of behavior and a program of action, as well as the ability to develop tactics to influence the process of unfolding conflict confrontation and its participants. This requires making management decisions, checking their practical implementation, making adjustments to the strategic plan and tactics if necessary, and promptly obtaining information about the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of the steps taken. The measures mentioned above make it possible not only to keep the conflict under control, but also to influence it in order to find and implement in the given conditions the optimal option for overcoming the conflict.

Post-conflict stage

When determining measures for reconciliation of conflicting parties, it is necessary to take into account the dissimilarity and some differences in the content of such terms as “completion”, “settlement”, “resolution” of the conflict. They do not coincide in meaning and carry different semantic loads.

Completion means any ending, the cessation of a conflict. It can be the result of both mutual reconciliation of the parties, the achievement of a certain agreement between them, and the gradual fading of the confrontation or its escalation into another conflict. The main prerequisite for ending the conflict is the elimination of objective and weakening of the subjective causes that gave rise to the conflict situation.

Conflict resolution is, as a rule, bringing conflict interaction into the mainstream of reconciliation through negotiations, the participation of mediators or arbitration. It is possible when the parties come to the conclusion that achieving agreements that satisfy them is much more profitable than continuing the conflict.

Conflict resolution presupposes its completion by the good will of the opponents themselves, their achievement of a jointly found solution to the problem that has divided them. This, in turn, requires choosing an appropriate style of conflict behavior and a method of action that would correspond to both the characteristics and the general nature of this type of conflict.

Conditions necessary to resolve the conflict:

1. awareness by the warring parties of the contradictions and disagreements that objectively exist between them, divergence of interests and divergence of goals, i.e. an idea of ​​the real source, the immediate causes of the conflict and the accompanying motives;
2. the interest of each of the parties to the conflict in overcoming the confrontation that has arisen on a mutually acceptable basis;
3. separate or joint search and use of methods, rules and methods available to the parties for resolving the conflict that occurred between them, i.e. eliminating its original cause.

The weakening of the confrontation is the first phase of the post-conflict stage. It is noteworthy in that the conflict, with all its severity, can end both as a result of a change in the objective situation, and as a result of a psychological restructuring of the subjects, a change in their views and intentions. On this basis, full or partial resolution of the conflict becomes possible.

The tension of the situation subsides, the reasons that caused the confrontation and intensified struggle are smoothed out or eliminated. The weight either returns to normal, or the time has come to establish new forms of interaction, possible agreement and cooperation of former opponents.

The final phase of the post-conflict stage is summing up and assessing the results. The consequences of a conflict depend on many objective and subjective factors, the behavior of the parties, methods for overcoming differences, and the skill of those who directed the resolution of the conflict.

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Conflicts

Many people have probably seen at least once in their lives a couple quarreling, a mother scolding a child, or a teenager who does not want to talk to his parents. These are the phenomena that sociology studies. Social conflicts are the highest degree of manifestation of disagreement between people or their groups, the struggle of their interests. This word came into Russian from Latin, where it means “collision.” The struggle of opinions can take place in different ways, have its own causes, consequences, etc. But the emergence of a social conflict always begins with a subjective or objective infringement of someone’s rights and interests, which causes a response. Contradictions exist constantly, but the stages of development of social conflict become visible only when the situation escalates.

Causes and functions of conflicts.

The reasons that cause conflicts are as varied as the conflicts themselves. It is very important to find out the objective reasons and their perception by individuals.

Objective reasons can be fairly conventionally presented in the form of several large groups:

• Relationship factors (differences in social, cultural education);
• Behavioral factors (excessive verbal and non-verbal pressure, threat to safety, etc.);
• Information (incomplete, inaccurate, misinformation, rumors, gossip, intentionally or accidentally hidden information);
• Value factors (beliefs, beliefs, behavior patterns, etc.);
• Instrumental factors (lack of mechanisms for resolving contradictions, etc.)

The functions of conflict are divided into both positive and negative. Let's start with the negative:

• Destruction, isolation or suppression of the subject of the conflict;
• Deformation of relations between subjects, temporary disruption of stability;
• Depletion of material and spiritual resources, vital forces of social subjects.

The positive ones include:

• Conflict is a reflection of objective processes occurring in various interpersonal interactions;
• Conflict is an important source of development of the individual, group, and interpersonal relationships;
• Conflict is a signal for change (it is necessary to identify fields of tension, trouble, mismatch of goals, interests, etc.);
• Conflict – stimulating social processes, promoting social progress.

Basics and nature

Society is heterogeneous, and benefits are not distributed equally among its members. Throughout its history, humanity has invariably sought a way to organize life so that everything is fair, but so far all attempts to do this have failed. Such heterogeneity is the very soil that forms the basis of social conflict at the macro level. So the main reason is an acute contradiction, everything else is strung on this core.

Unlike competition, with which conflict can be confused, interaction can occur in an extremely aggressive form, even to the point of violence. Of course, this does not always happen, but the number of wars, strikes, riots and demonstrations shows that sometimes things can be very serious.

Classification

There are a huge number of types of conflicts, which vary depending on the criteria applied. The main ones are:

• by the number of participants: internal, interpersonal, intragroup, intergroup, as well as conflicts with the external environment;
• by scope: local, national, international, global;
• by duration: short-term and long-term;
• by spheres of life and basis: economic, political, sociocultural, ideological, family and everyday life, spiritual and moral, labor, legal;
• by the nature of occurrence: spontaneous and intentional;
• on the use of various means: violent and peaceful;
• by consequences: successful, unsuccessful, constructive, destructive.

Obviously, when considering a specific collision, it is necessary to remember all of these factors. Only this will help to identify some latent, that is, hidden, causes and processes, as well as understand how to resolve the conflict. On the other hand, ignoring some of them, you can consider individual aspects in much more detail.

By the way, many researchers believe that hidden conflicts are the most serious. Silent opposition is not only unconstructive - it is like a time bomb that can explode at any moment. That is why it is necessary to express disagreements one way or another, if there are any: a large number of different opinions often helps to make serious decisions that would satisfy all interested parties.

Structure

Conflict as a phenomenon and as a process has its own structure - a set of stable internal connections that determine its content and development. The main structural elements of social conflict are:

• contradiction is the source of conflict, its prerequisite;
• participants in the conflict are people representing incompatible interests;
• the object of the conflict is the value about which the conflict arises;
• subject of conflict - a problem that arises when conflicting interests collide;
• conditions for the emergence and course of conflicts are factors influencing the emergence and development of conflict relationships.

The structure of the conflict may change as it develops: the object may be replaced, the composition of the participants may change.

Controversies and reasons

The basis of the conflict is the contradictions that arise in the process of interactions between people and are realized by them. There are contradictions :

• Internal – clash of interests of participants within small social groups and organizations.
• External - arise between individual social systems.
• Antagonistic - irreconcilably hostile. The conflicts arising from them are difficult to resolve due to the reluctance of its participants to make concessions.
• Non-antagonistic - there is no hostility in social interaction, and its participants are able to find a compromise solution.
• Basic – they determine the emergence and development of the conflict, determine the relationships of its main participants.
• Non-core - accompanying, associated with secondary participants in the conflict.
• Objective – circumstances of social interaction between people leading to a conflict of interests.
• Subjective - stems from the individual perception of the situation by each individual, and is associated with the psychological characteristics of opponents, their mentality, and worldviews.

The most common causes of social conflicts are:

• social inequality - uneven distribution of economic and social resources between members of society and groups;
• cultural heterogeneity of society - the coexistence of social groups with different value systems and behavioral standards;
• social deprivation – discrepancy between interests-expectations and real possibilities of satisfying them;
• social disorganization is a breakdown of the system during a crisis period, giving rise to the corruption of moral norms, the decline of the legal system, and the weakening of social control.

Contradictions can arise in any area of ​​social interaction, but not all of them develop into open confrontation or active confrontation.

Participants

The concept of social conflict includes a wide range of multi-level phenomena from clashes between individuals to interstate armed conflicts. Depending on the degree of involvement in conflict relations, the following categories of participants :

• main participants - opponent, adversary, aggressor, enemy;
• support groups – forces that stand behind opponents and influence the development of the conflict;
• instigators - those who push participants to start a conflict;
• initiator - the one who takes the first step in starting a conflict;
• organizers - those who plan and organize specific actions and control the course of the conflict;
• moderators are intermediaries who solve the problem of ending the conflict.

All participants in the conflict have their own motives for entering into conflict. They take an active position: they create a conflict situation and influence the course of conflict interaction.

Subject and object of the conflict

The central place in the structure of the conflict is occupied by the subject and object of the conflict. The object of the conflict is the specific reason for the confrontation between the parties, the driving force of the conflict. It can be any social benefit, value (material, economic, political, ideological, spiritual), which is at the intersection of the interests of different subjects. Usually this is some scarce resource that each participant strives to possess individually: property, a promising position, territory.

The subject of the conflict is a problem that arises when the interests of the parties collide, manifested in the methods of obtaining the object, in relation to it. This could be a problem of power, possession of values, a problem of primacy or compatibility. Identifying the subject of the conflict is the most important step towards resolving it. The main difficulty is that many conflicts are so intricate that the subject itself may not have clear boundaries or may be divided into the main problem and associated particular manifestations.

Conditions of occurrence and occurrence

Every conflict occurs in a certain system, which can be a family, a social group, a state, or an international community. Its origin and development are influenced by various factors:

• cultural norms for the course and resolution of conflicts;
• the nature of the relationships between the participants;
• interests, goals of the participants, their individual psychological and sociocultural characteristics;
• the presence of third forces interested in a certain course of the conflict.

Often a conflict arises under the influence of such factors as conflict triggers and provocation. Conflictogens are elements of behavior and communication that create a tense environment and can lead to a conflict situation. These include:

• words, intonations, figures of speech;
• gestures, actions (inaction);
• sloppiness, unnecessaryness, violation of etiquette;
• assessments, judgments, ideas.

Provocation is an action directed against individuals, groups, organizations, states with the aim of causing a response, leading to the emergence or aggravation of a conflict. If conflictogens are incorrect behavior that does not have malicious intent, then provocation is carried out intentionally, consciously.

Stages of occurrence

When directly participating in a conflict, it is not easy to distance yourself and think about something else, because the contradiction is acute. However, observing from the outside, one can easily identify the main stages of social conflict. Different scientists sometimes identify different numbers of them, but generally they say four.

1. Pre-conflict state. This is not yet a clash of interests itself, but the situation inevitably leads to it, contradictions between subjects appear and accumulate, and tension gradually increases. Then a certain event or action occurs, which becomes a so-called trigger, that is, it is the reason for the beginning of active actions.
2. Direct conflict. The escalation stage is the most active: the parties interact in one form or another, looking not only for a way out of discontent, but also for a way to resolve the problem. Sometimes solutions are proposed, sometimes the confrontation remains destructive. Not all parties to the conflict always take active action, but each of them plays their role. In addition to the two directly interacting parties, intermediaries, or mediators, often intervene at this stage, seeking to move on to resolving problems. There may also be so-called instigators or provocateurs - people who, consciously or not, take actions to further escalate the conflict. As a rule, they do not actively support one of the parties.
3. Conflict resolution. There comes a time when the parties have already expressed all their claims and are ready to look for a way out. At this stage, active and often constructive negotiations take place. However, in order to find a solution, you need to keep some important conditions in mind. Firstly, the participants in the conflict must understand its true causes. Secondly, they must be interested in reconciliation. Thirdly, you need to calm down and remember mutual respect. Finally, the last condition is the search not for general recommendations, but the development of specific steps to resolve the contradiction.
4. Post-conflict period. At this time, the implementation of all those decisions that were made for reconciliation begins. For some time the parties may still be in some tension, a so-called “sediment” remains, but over time everything passes and relations return to a peaceful course.

These stages of development of social conflict are familiar to absolutely everyone in practice. As a rule, the second period is the longest and most painful; sometimes the parties cannot move on to a constructive discussion of further steps for a very long time. The quarrel drags on and spoils everyone's mood. But sooner or later the third stage comes.

Behavior tactics

In the social sphere, conflicts of one scale or another occur constantly. They can pass completely unnoticed, or they can be very serious, especially if both sides behave unreasonably and inflate small differences into huge problems.

There are five basic social models for how people act in pre-conflict or escalation situations. They are also conventionally associated with animals, noticing similar values ​​and aspirations. All of them, to one degree or another, are constructive and reasonable, but the choice of each of them depends on many factors. So, at the first stage of social conflict and during the subsequent development of events, one of the following is observed:

1. Device (bear). This tactic requires one of the parties to completely sacrifice their interests. In this case, from the “bear’s” point of view, it is more important to restore calm and stability rather than resolve contradictions.
2. Compromise (fox). This is a more neutral model, in which the subject of the dispute is approximately equally important for both sides. This type of conflict resolution assumes that both opponents will be only partially satisfied.
3. Cooperation (owl). This method is needed when compromise is out of the question. This is the most successful option if you need to not only return, but also strengthen interpersonal relationships. But it is suitable only for those who are ready to put grievances aside and think constructively.
4. Ignoring (turtle). One of the parties does its best to avoid open confrontation, hoping for an independent resolution of disagreements. Sometimes using these tactics is necessary to gain a break and relieve tension.
5. Competition (shark). As a rule, one of the parties unilaterally makes a decision aimed at eliminating the problem. This is only possible with sufficient knowledge and competence.

As the development of social conflict moves from one stage to another, patterns of behavior may change. The process depends on many factors, and this may determine how it all ends. If the parties are unable to cope on their own, a need may arise for an intermediary, that is, a mediator, or arbitration.

Kinds

People tend to act differently. Several types of conflicts can be noted. Each of them requires its own participation and implies a specific solution. Relationships between people are a complex thing that requires constant participation. If people are not willing to put in the effort, they will inevitably lose. It is worth paying attention to the main types.

Intrapersonal

A common option that implies that a person is mentally fighting with himself. He does not accept specific character traits in himself, he is afraid of appearing weak and weak-willed. This is often preceded by failures at work or in relationships with the opposite sex.

Intrapersonal conflict is characterized by increased fatigue and emotional depression. The personality withdraws into self-flagellation and constantly concentrates on negative manifestations. Behavior changes: isolation, distrust of life and all-consuming discontent appear. The struggle that occurs within the individual leads to a growing feeling of dissatisfaction, or contributes to the gradual formation of a real picture of the world. A person begins to notice how things really are.

Interpersonal

It appears directly between two participants in events. Such disagreement affects other people's interests and forces them to take others into account. Interpersonal conflict is always difficult to resolve: here many strategic actions applicable in other situations become ineffective.

Explaining something to another person is sometimes more difficult than taking on additional responsibility. Here people’s interests collide, and a desire arises to defend one’s position at all costs. Some are ready to use tricks just to emerge victorious from the current situation.

Personality and group

This type of conflict is characterized by increased tension and even uncontrollability. Society puts pressure on a person and suppresses his individuality. When an individual is opposed by a group, it becomes difficult for him. It is impossible to realize true intentions, express an opinion, voice a decision. Much depends on whether a person can resist such an onslaught and cope with the emotions that attack him. The individual and the group imply an inherent inequality. More often than not, individuality is lost and a person is placed in a rigid framework.

Between groups

If the interests of different groups collide, then all participants suffer. Social interaction is undergoing negative changes. Conflict can turn into bullying, disrespect or intentional humiliation. It is often found in educational institutions, for example, in high school, colleges, schools, and less often in institutes and in production.

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Consequences

For some reason, it is generally accepted that the clash of different points of view does not bring anything good. But this is not so, because every phenomenon has both a negative and a positive side. Thus, there are also consequences of social conflicts that can be called positive. Among them the following should be highlighted:

• searching for new ways to solve various problems;
• the emergence of an understanding of the values ​​and priorities of other people;
• strengthening intragroup ties when it comes to external disagreements.

However, there are also negative points:

• increased tension;
• destruction of interpersonal connections;
• diverting attention from solving more important problems.

Most scientists do not clearly assess the consequences of social conflicts. Even each specific example needs to be considered only in perspective, assessing the long-term impact of all decisions made. But, since disagreements arise, it means that for some reason they are necessary. Although it’s hard to believe, remembering the terrible examples from history that led to bloody wars, brutal riots and executions.

Resolution methods

Preventing an unsatisfactory situation begins with meaningful intention. You need to work it out in your head and only then start acting. Then significant self-confidence will appear, and the desire to act despite the circumstances will come. Even depressing events will no longer have power over true intentions. The technology here is such that you need to rely on your own constructive guidelines and not be afraid to seem stupid, strange or funny.

You can choose your own methods based on positive examples and inspiring stories. In most cases, a person is capable of much stronger actions than he himself imagines. After all, often a person openly underestimates himself.

Evasion

Avoiding a decision indicates an inability to act at a given moment in time. This is dictated by burnout, emotional impotence, fear of true action coming from the heart. Often people are driven by fear - and expressed to the maximum extent. Evasion occurs due to human weakness.

If a person is too susceptible to the destructive influence of emotions, then there is not always the strength to act openly, holistically, with complete dedication. Avoiding action is dangerous because time is wasted. The situation may reach a dead end, and then there will be neither the strength nor the opportunity to subsequently correct the consequences.

Rivalry

This method refers to an active method of overcoming obstacles. Competition implies that the individual uses verbal opportunities rather than resorting to repression. It becomes easier to explain to your opponent in plain text what is happening, without taking a roundabout route. In many cases, people compete with each other, wanting to look more presentable and correct.

In fact, competition opens many doors for an individual: self-confidence appears, the desire to cope with difficulties, and act in accordance with internal beliefs.

Solution

To come to an understanding of the whole situation, you need to stop deceiving yourself. It is required to admit mistakes and act in accordance with a previously made decision. The main thing is to find within yourself that structural component that will help you start making responsible decisions. Sometimes the solution to a difficult situation lies on the surface, but people prefer not to notice what is happening next to them. The decisive moment often comes only in a critical situation, when there is nowhere to retreat, you have to move forward, despite constantly emerging obstacles.

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Smoothing

This is an attempt to reach consensus and decide on our next steps. Smoothing implies a concession that must still be demonstrated. Then the opponent will also change his line of behavior. Some people do not know how to give in and, out of spite, try to act in the opposite way. This comes from the fear of failure, of not being up to the task.

Compromise

The most common case, which often occurs in the family, at work. Compromise is an opportunity to find a positive and healthy solution. This makes life easier and makes responsible decisions. Sometimes there is no point in arguing with your interlocutor until you are blue in the face. It would be much wiser to compromise and reveal your own reasonableness and adequacy. By resorting to compromise, a person maintains harmony, strives for joy and does not want to spoil relationships.

Compulsion

This is a form of mental violence. But this moment is always clearly recognized, but often occurs in everyday life. Any coercion borders on the suppression of a person’s inner will. If the opponent is forced to make a specific decision, the situation will not benefit from this. In most cases, people subsequently become even more fixated on the situation and find themselves unable to tell themselves and others the truth. Coercion is not a method, but an indicator of personal weakness. The method itself suggests that a person does not know how to negotiate, is afraid to act directly, and is looking for workarounds.

Functions

The role of social conflicts is not as simple as it might seem. This type of interaction is one of the most effective. In addition, according to many researchers, it is the clash of interests that is an inexhaustible source of social development. Economic models, political regimes, entire civilizations are changing - and all because of global conflicts. But this happens only when disagreements in society reach their climax and there is an acute crisis.

One way or another, many sociologists believe that ultimately there are only two options for the development of events when acute contradictions arise: the collapse of the core of the system or finding a compromise or consensus. Everything else sooner or later leads to one of these paths.

When is this normal?

If we remember the essence of social conflict, it becomes clear that any interaction in this form initially has a rational grain. So, from a sociological point of view, even an open clash is a completely normal type of interaction.

The only problem is that people are irrational and often follow emotions, and can also use them for their own purposes, and then the stages of development of social conflict are delayed by escalation and return to it over and over again. The goal is lost, which does not lead to anything good. But blindly avoiding conflicts, constantly sacrificing your interests, is wrong. Peacefulness in this case is completely unnecessary; sometimes you need to stand up for yourself.

Stages of emergence and development of social conflict.

There are four stages in social conflict:

1. pre-conflict (is hidden, at this time the causes of the conflict appear, preparation for its open phase begins, and a transition to conflict behavior occurs);

2. the conflict itself (the parties to the conflict carry out actions aimed at achieving victory in the confrontation and blocking the enemy’s achievement of his goals);

3. conflict resolution (after passing the critical point, the conflict begins to move towards its resolution, which becomes obvious against the backdrop of depletion of resources, both material and emotional, used during the conflict);

4. post-conflict (efforts are being made to finally eliminate contradictions, socio-psychological tension is eliminated, all struggle ceases).

Main characteristics of social conflict

The main characteristics of a social conflict include its causes, severity, duration and consequences.

Causes of conflicts:

· the presence of opposing orientations (for example, differences in culture, perception of the situation, status and prestige);

· ideological reasons (different attitudes towards the system of ideas);

· social and economic inequality (significant differences in the distribution of values ​​between individuals and groups);

· relationships between elements of social structure (different places occupied by organizations or groups in society).

The severity of the conflict. When they talk about an acute social conflict, they first of all mean a conflict with a high intensity of social clashes, as a result of which a large amount of psychological and material resources are consumed in a short period of time. Thus, an acute conflict is characterized mainly by open clashes, which occur so often that they merge into a single whole. The severity of the conflict depends to the greatest extent on the socio-psychological characteristics of the warring parties, as well as on the situation requiring immediate action.

Duration of the conflict. Each individual in his life inevitably faces conflicts of varying duration. This could be a short skirmish lasting a few minutes (a verbal spat between neighbors), or it could be a confrontation between different groups that lasts for several generations (a conflict between religions).

The consequences of social conflicts are very contradictory. On the one hand, these consequences are negative, since conflicts increase bitterness, lead to destruction and intra-group tension, disrupt normal channels of cooperation in society, and distract the attention of group (society) members from pressing problems. On the other hand, these consequences are positive, since conflicts determine the way out of difficult situations, contribute to the resolution of problems, strengthen group cohesion, lead to the conclusion of alliances with other groups of society, and lead the group (society) to understand the interests of its members.

Social control as a mechanism for social regulation of people’s behavior, ways of its implementation

Considering one of the previous topics, we became acquainted with status-role and some other concepts of personality, found out the essence and features of its socialization. A person who has gone through all the main stages of socialization and has mastered its basic requirements, becoming a full-fledged individual, behaves appropriately in society, family, work collective, and public places. It is such a person who personifies normal, standardized (with elements of positive innovation) behavior. Thanks to the massive prevalence of such normal forms of behavior and activity in society, social order is maintained.

However, society cannot be imagined as consisting of only typified individuals. Along with normal behavior in society, there are also forms of behavior that deviate from generally accepted norms of morality and law. This behavior is called “deviant” or deviant.

Deviant behavior is behavior and human actions that deviate from generally accepted norms or violate them.

Deviations have two vectors of their manifestation: constructive and destructive. Constructive deviations are a type of activity in which the carrier of deviation, as if ahead of his time, produces ideas or objects of future culture. These are discoveries in science, technical inventions and innovations in art, this is a manifestation of freethinking in religion, philosophy and politics. Not all of these innovations are assessed positively by contemporaries; most of them were perceived precisely as deviant behavior.

Destructive deviations are associated with the formation of asocial personality types (drug addiction, alcoholism, prostitution, vagrancy) and criminal actions directed against the individual and society. The latter can manifest themselves in the activities of both individual simple individuals and major historical figures who strive to elevate society itself to the rank of a deviantly functioning system. Suffice it to recall the activities of Nero, Hitler or Polpot.

Forms of deviation are destructive, antisocial and illegal behavior.

Attitudes towards deviation depend on the type of society. The more democratic a society is, the more loyal it is to non-criminal forms of deviation (including even drug addiction and non-standard sexual orientation), because the existence of deviation is a guarantee of cultural diversity, without which a democratic society cannot exist. The more totalitarian a society is, the more strictly it controls any deviation from the norm (including behavior, clothing, hair length), in which the existence of deviation poses a threat to a totalitarian society obsessed with universal standardization.

In the broad sense of the word, “deviation” is understood as any deviation from a social norm; in a narrow sense, it means deviation only from unwritten, moral norms. Violation of written norms and laws is called delinquency, crime.

Thus, we come to the question of social control over the behavior of people in society.

Social control is a mechanism for maintaining social order through the use of authority, social norms, and sanctions.

The main functions of social control are:

· protective (control protects order in society);

· regulatory (control regulates people’s behavior);

· stabilizing (control ensures the stability of society).

It is believed that 70% of social control is achieved through internal control. We can say that internal control is control through socialization. It is that society socializes people so that they want to act the way they should act. As one sociologist wittily noted, women can be forced to take on the arduous and thankless work of homework by being socialized to want a husband, children, and a household, and to feel miserable without them.

As for external control, which implies influence on the individual from the social environment and the entire society as a whole, it can be carried out in the form of formal and informal control. Formal control can be direct and indirect, soft and hard, general, detailed and even total. In modern society its importance is increasing. At the same time, informal control continues to operate in society, for example, from relatives, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and neighbors. Such was the control in a traditional rural community, and even now in small settlements everyone knows everything about each other and thereby controls the behavior of the individual. A specific type of informal control is public opinion.

Elements of social control: norms and sanctions

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