Types Of Conflict: Psychology, Examples, Tasks

Types Of Conflict-Conflict - a natural universal occurrence, is inevitable. Conflicts can arise anytime and anywhere. They are disputes which have core underlying issues, a situation where the parties involved express their differences in satisfying the needs and interests and what interferences occur in achieving these goals. There are various types of conflict that we will read about in this article.

What Is A Conflict?

A conflict is a disagreement between individuals or a group of people on the basis of their opinions, their perceptions, thoughts, understanding and their attitudes. In simpler words, when the various parties involved in a situation are at odds, it may lead to a conflict. The intensity of the conflict depends on the communication and understanding between the parties.

The goal of conflict resolution is to come at par with each other, form a truce and find a common ground. It requires some compromise and making some changes. Conflicts can change relationships, hence, it is important to make positive changes which requires proper management.

For example, a student being late to class everyday and entering in the middle of the lecture, a student showing dominant or bossy behaviour, or a student insulting the opinions of a fellow student.

Continue reading the article to know about various types of conflict.

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Types Of Conflict

Some common types of conflict listed below will give you a better understanding of what are conflicts.

Types Of Conflict- Task Conflicts

Task conflicts arise where individuals or a group of people have to coordinate amongst themselves regarding a task so everyone involved can complete the task in question. Conflict arises when an individual has to finish a task before another can do their part.

For example, if four students in a class are given a group project, and two of the four students worry visibly less about deadlines than the other two, their rate of working at their own speed may cause stress to the other two children, thereby resulting in a conflict.

Types Of Conflict- Leadership Conflicts

Different leadership styles can impact an individual in a different way. Some leaders follow a bold approach while others are more laidback; some are very strict in enforcing rules while others rely on a natural flow of work output.

For example, in a school group project there can be only one leader according to the teacher’s instructions. One student wishes to lead the whole group and wants to do everything as per his wishes, while another student wishes to participate and lead the group as well. Here, the conflict is both of them wanting to lead the group but only one being able to.

Types Of Conflict- Work-Style Conflicts

As stated above, there are many different approaches when it comes to completing work. These work approaches shape your behaviour and interaction with co-workers and differing work styles can also create conflict.

For example, the teacher gave some homework. A child who was absent asks another as to what needs to be done. The one present only gave half the information. This resulted in the child only submitting half of the homework and receiving less marks for it while the one present getting full marks. Here, the conflict is the first child not giving complete information leading to less marks for the second child.

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Types Of Conflict- Value Conflicts

This conflict arises when individuals or groups have a different perspective of the morals or values that come into play during a particular situation. Hence, values are very subjective, since it has its basis on how an individual feels about another.

For example, a school project needs to be done in pairs. One student may wish to utilise his evening time playing while the other wishes to do the project. Here, the conflict arises when the first student wants to play and do the project later while the other is stressing about the unfinished project. There is a difference in the value both the students place on the project, and hence, the conflict.

Types Of Conflict- Personality Conflicts

Everyone is different and has their own unique set of traits. We are not like everyone we meet and we will not like everyone we meet. It might be difficult for you to work with someone whose personality is fundamentally very different from yours. People who experience personality-based conflicts should have an empathetic approach to successfully resolve the conflict.

For example, in a viva assessing teamwork, a storytelling project was given. Six students were put together. Five of them were very outgoing and friendly, while the sixth one was shy to speak. The sixth student could not explain her part of the story properly due to her shy nature. The group got less marks. Here, the conflict was, the outgoing students getting less marks due to the shy personality of the sixth student.

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Types Of Conflict- Creative Ideas Conflicts

When working with a team, conflict often arises due to differences in ideas and it is almost expected. What changes is the amount of escalation involved with each conflict. Creative idea conflicts can be seen as beneficial if they don’t go out of control. Here, issues arise where individuals brainstorm, but it also helps them understand the need to recognise and value the ideas of others.

For example, a teacher asks a pair of students to explain a short story creatively. One of them is a good actor and wants to explain by acting, while the other is a better artist and wants to explain through drawing. The conflict arises due to a difference in creative ideas.

Types Of Conflict- Competition Conflicts

This type of conflict arises when strong parties have to work together. Competition usually comes in when individuals who insist on winning often have the need to feel “right.” This conflict can be difficult to resolve since it is not sometimes possible for both parties to feel as if they have won. Hence, competition conflicts require a third party to give an ultimatum or make the ultimate decision.

For instance, in a race at school two students reached the end line at the same time according to them. This created a competition conflict amongst them. Here, the referee will make a decision as to who reached first.

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Types Of Conflict Psychology

Conflict, in Psychology, is when 2 or more strong motives that arise cannot be solved together.

Dollar and Miller gave us insights on four types of conflicts we often get stuck in: approach-approach, avoidance-avoidance, approach-avoidance, and double approach-avoidance. The word ‘approach’ describes ‘the want’ for something. You want something, you approach it. You want ice cream, you will go to the freezer to get it.‘Avoidance’ is that the closer you get to a situation you do not wish to be in, you avoid it. For example, if you are afraid of dogs, you will not want to enter a house which has one.

Types Of Conflict Psychology: Approach-Approach

This is the first in the four types of conflict, a choice between two things you like. An example could be- You go to an ice-cream shop and see your two favourite flavours, chocolate and cookie crumble. You would most likely want to grab a taste of both and feel like you are in a dilemma of choosing between them. This is an ‘approach-approach conflict’.

Types Of Conflict Psychology: Avoidance-Avoidance

The second in the four types of conflict, a choice between two things you don't like. Here, you avoid making a decision because both the options available to you aren't appealing. Here, an example could be - not wanting to attend lectures due to them being boring but also not wanting to be in the defaulters list. This is is ‘avoidance-avoidance conflict’

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Types Of Conflict Psychology: Approach-Avoidance

The third in the four types of conflict, a situation with a goal that has both positive and negative values. So, there is attraction towards the goal, but avoidance too. Here, an example could be - You want to go to your job because you enjoy your colleague’s company, but also don't want to since there is no job security. This is an ‘approach-avoidance conflict’.

Types Of Conflict Psychology: Double Approach-Avoidance

The fourth in the four types of conflict, a choice between two alternatives/goals, each with positive and negative values. Here, an individual has to choose one goal, give up the other and also accept the negative values of the chosen goal. Here, an example could be- You want to become a doctor but the fee is not allowing you. Hence, you choose a para-medical field to pursue your studies in, because that is also a part of healthcare, though not what you always wanted to do. This is ‘double approach-avoidance conflict’

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Various forms of conflict may require different conflict resolution strategies. In the real world, the conflicting/opposing parties would be able to identify the correct solution on their own considering the communication skills both use. However, this is not always the case. When emotions are at their peak, it can be difficult to move out of the situation and think logically to determine the best resolution strategy. Having a known set of conflict resolution strategies can help ease the tension in such situations.