This document defines conflicts and describes different types of conflicts. It begins by defining conflict as a state of tension between opposing desires, wishes, or goals. Conflicts are classified as occurring between persons, between a person and their environment, or within a person. Intra-personal conflicts include approach-approach, avoidance-avoidance, and approach-avoidance conflicts. The document also discusses methods for resolving conflicts, including task-oriented reactions that directly address the problem, and defense-oriented reactions that aim to escape or avoid the problem.
2. Introduction
The term conflict is used in so many ways in
our day to day life.
There may be conflicts between the ideas,
cultures, religions and organizations.
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3. Definition
✗ Conflict means a painful emotional state which
results from tension between opposed and
contradictory wishes.- Douglas & Holland
Psychological conflict is a state of tension brought
by the presence in the individual of two or more
opposing desires.- Barney & Lehner
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4. Characteristics of Conflict
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✗ At least two parties/two goals/two ideas are
involved.
✗ Mutually exclusive goals and mutually exclusive
values exist.
✗ The parties/ideas/goals face each other with
mutually opposing actions and counteractions.
5. Types of Conflicts
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✗ Conflicts are classified in different ways; they are
described as follows;
✗ The conflict between person and person
✗ The conflict between a person and his environment
✗ The conflict within a person
6. The Conflict between Person and Person
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✗ This type of conflict is quite common
say like conflicts between parents and
children, between employer and
employee, between colleagues.
7. The Conflict between a Person and His Environment
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By environment we means our
our
surroundings; if any
environment like
changes of
floods, droughts,
earthquake, fires, contagious diseases, war
etc.affect the person.
8. The Confl i ct within a Person
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✗ The conflict within a person of motives, desires and impulses is called
the internalconflicts.
✗ Some of the internal conflicts are as follows;
✗ Approach-ApproachConflict (DoubleApproachConflict)
✗ Avoidance-AvoidanceConflict (DoubleAvoidanceConflict)
✗ Approach-AvoidanceConflict
✗ MultipleApproach- AvoidanceConflicts
9. Approach-Approach Confl i ct
✗ This is the simplest type of conflict and occurs between two
positive goals and both the goals are equally attractive.
✗ The conflicts of this type are of little danger and temporary .
✗ For example a young man may experience conflict in
choosing between two equally qualified beautiful and
respectable girls for marriage.
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10. An Avoidance-Avoidance Confl i ct
✗ An avoidance-avoidance conflict is a situation, wherein an
individual is motivated to avoidboth the goals.
✗ Here the individualis caught between the deviland deep blue sea.
✗ Here both the goals are equally unattractive and the individual
escape from both the goals.
✗ For example one may dislike studies and failures and has to
choose between two. Another example is unhappy employment
and loss of income.
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11. An Approach - Avoidance Conflict
✗ In this type of conflict a person is both attracted
and repelled by the same goal object.
✗ For example ice cream is so delicious but it also
causes obesity. A man wants to marry a girl for her
beauty but her educational level is too level.
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12. Multiple Approach- Avoidance Conflicts
✗ Our life involves many positive and negative goals.
✗ We have to select in between.
✗ For example a student experiences conflict between making
good grades and making it to the college football team.
✗ In this the boy experiences considerable pressure from his family
and friends to achieve both the goals. He may incur the
disapproval of his parents if he fails to make good grades in
studies. He will lose friends if he does not make it to the football
team.
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13. How to Resolve Confl i cts/ Methods of
Resolving Conflicts
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✗ Taskorientedreactions
✗ This involves an objective appraisal of the situation and
consciously making a decision to solve it.
✗ It involves making changes in self and surroundings.
✗ The action may involve accepting and analyzing the
problem, attacking the problem directly, withdrawing
from the problem or trying to find a workable
compromise.
14. How to Resolve Confl i cts/ Methods of
Resolving Conflicts
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✗ Defense orientedreactions
✗ Defence mechanism is a technique adopted by individuals to cope
with tension, stress and anxiety that are mainly aroused by
conflicts.
✗ When an individual meets with such a problem, instead of
developing an insight to solve it, he may find an easy way to escape
from the problem and givea totallydifferent explanation for it.
✗ This is a mechanism of our mind aims in protecting the individual
from hurt and disorganization.
