Conflict
- Conflict is struggle between people which may be physical, or between ideas.
- It is an active disagreement between people with opposing opinions or principles.
- Conflicts can either be within one person, or they can involve several people or groups.
- Conflicts arise because there are needs, values or ideas that are seen to be different.
Conflict stages
- Latent Stage: Latent conflict is the stage in which factors exist in the situation which could become potential conflict inducing forces. Participants are not yet aware of conflict. Four basic types of latent conflict are: Competition for scarce resources, Drive for autonomy, Divergence of goals, Role conflict.
- Perceived Stage: Participants are aware that the conflict exists. Conflicts may sometimes arise even if no conditions of latent conflict exist. This is the stage when one party perceives the other to be likely to prevent from achieving his or her goals. It arises when parties misunderstanding each other’s true position. Such conflict can be resolved by improving communication between the groups.
- Felt Stage: Felt conflict is the stage when the conflict is not only perceived but actually felt and recognized. There occurs personalization of conflict.
- Manifest: Conflict is open and can be observed. Manifest conflict is the stage when the two parties engage in behaviors which evoke responses from each other. The most obvious of these responses are open aggression, apathy, sabotage, withdrawal and perfect obedience to rules. The motives towards violence may remain but they tend to be expressed in less violent forms.
- Aftermath: The aftermath of a conflict may have positive or negative consequences depending upon how the conflict is resolved. If the conflict is genuinely resolved to the satisfaction of all participants, else, the latent conditions of conflict may be aggravated and explode in a more serious form until they are rectified.