Conflict (process)

Conflict refers to some form of friction, disagreement, or discord arising within a group when the beliefs or actions of one or more members of the group are either resisted by or unacceptable to one or more members of another group. Conflict can arise between members of the same group, known as intragroup conflict, or it can occur between members of two or more groups, and involve violence, interpersonal discord, and psychological tension, known as intergroup conflict. Conflict in groups often follows a specific course. Routine group interaction is first disrupted by an initial conflict, often caused by differences of opinion, disagreements between members, or scarcity of resources. At this point, the group is no longer united, and may split into coalitions. This period of conflict escalation in some cases gives way to a conflict resolution stage, after which the group can eventually return to routine group interaction once again.

M. Afzalur Rahim notes there is no single universally accepted definition of conflict. He notes that one issue of contention is whether the conflict is a situation or a type of behavior.

Citing a review of definitions of organizational conflicts in 1990 by Robert A. Baron, Rakhim notes the following common elements in the definitions of conflict:

Building on that, the proposed definition of conflict by Rakhim is "an interactive process manifested in incompatibility, disagreement or dissonance within or between social entities." Rakhim also notes that a conflict may be limited to one individual, who is conflicted within himself (the intrapersonal conflict).

To take another definition of conflict, Michael Nicholson defines it as an activity which takes place when conscious beings (individuals or groups) wish to carry out mutually inconsistent acts concerning their wants, needs or obligations. Conflict is an escalation of a disagreement, which is its common prerequisite, and is characterized by the existence of conflict behavior, in which the beings are actively trying to damage one another. Rakhim lists some manifestations of conflict behavior, starting with disagreement, and followed by verbal abuse and interference.

Conflicts can occur between individuals, groups and organizations; examples include quarrels between individuals, labor strikes, competitive sports, or armed conflicts.

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