Intergroup conflict - a common phenomenon and examples this is quite a lot.
People constantly interact with each other, are members of small and large social groups.
As a result, there is a clash of interests, the aggravation of the situation, and the consequence is a conflict of the parties.
Concepts and examples
Intergroup conflict is defined as clash of interests, disagreements between groups or individual and social group.
Most often occurs within organizations. However, larger-scale options are also known - the class struggle, between countries.
There may also be a clash between the formal and the informal group when opposing attitudes.
In any team other than the assigned leadership, sooner or later, informal groups with their leader appear. Often he is the instigator of clashes, provoking the rest of the community to go after him.
Each person is usually is a member of a social group. He accepts her ideas, focus.
In this case, confrontation may arise with another social group, when these ideas and goals do not coincide. Differences may relate to methods of work, ideology, methods of management, submission to the leader.
Often there is a conflict between an individual and a group when he categorically disagrees with her requirements, methods of work, moral and other norms.
One example of intergroup conflict is trade union and administration, two departments competing with each other. The conflict between the individual and the group is an individual worker, clearly distinguished from the collective, the “white crow”.
The rates of intergroup conflict in this video are:
Causes
Psychology and sociology identifies the main causes of intragroup and intergroup conflicts.
- Competition for limited resources. It arises due to a mismatch of interests. This may be a claim to finance, market, territory, equipment. One of the reasons is information, more precisely, its lack. The group may be indignant about the fact that someone has been given permission for a certain type of activity, while others are not. Or one department was issued a prize, the other did not receive it. This also includes the struggle for more comfortable conditions of existence.
- Unfair distribution of goods. Inside the enterprise, there may be uneven encouragement of employees. Another reason is a different number of responsibilities with the same reward.
Here, the stability of work and the calmness of the collective violate the need of its members for justice.
- The conflict between the formal and informal leader. In any large group, sooner or later an informal group will appear, and it, respectively, has its own leader. His ideas may not coincide with the leadership and even adversely affect the production process. These conflicts require special consideration and, if necessary, the removal of an informal leader sabotaging the workflow. Worse, when an informal leader appears inside the country, which causes significant damage to the state.
- Group size. This factor is equally important to consider. The smaller the group, the more attractive the individual assesses belonging to it. Conflict with a small group is perceived as the most painful, especially if it has an authoritative position in the team. In this case, there is a fear of losing the feeling of being chosen, of belonging to status. On the other hand, in a small group, tensions increase when new members appear in it. With large teams, this is less noticeable, as the bonding bonds are weaker.
In the development of group conflicts plays a significant role social identity. The natural need of a person is to be a part of something, at the same time defend one’s interests intersecting with the interests of the group.
However, in social psychology, phenomena of imposing interests, attitudes, adopting group goals for the sake of preserving one’s own status and belonging to a community are known.
Manifestations
Conflict between groups can occur in different scenarios:
- rivalry - when communities need to achieve one goal;
- collision - in this case, the groups seek to cause damage to each other;
- domination - one group tries to dominate the other and control it, while the second resists;
- avoidance - the group or person tries to retire, to avoid interaction by any means;
- suppression - one group gets an advantage, starts to impose its own rules;
- device - the desire of one group or individual to adapt to another group for the sake of maintaining status, peace of mind, life.
The form of manifestation depends on the size of the group, the strength and capabilities of its participants, the likely degree of punishment that will follow when subordinating, the willingness to take risks.
Kinds
What concerns group conflicts? Group conflicts are divided by subjects and objects. Also distinguished by the method of confrontation, the size of the group, the reasons. Therefore, it is difficult to single out a single classification.
By subject:
- national;
- territorial;
- class;
- class;
- professional;
- generations;
- related
According to the object:
- socio-economic;
- political and legal when there is a separation of power and influence;
- ideological.
Conflicts can be distinguished by the way of manifestation - explicit or hidden. As far as they are understood by members of the group, are they adequately perceived.
Conflicts can be directed to constructive goals or destructive. They differ in their regulation methods.
Special features
Conflicts in groups and between them have the following features.that take into account when searching for ways to resolve:
- the ability to involve masses of people, regardless of their desires;
- the nature of the deployment - has the logic of construction, regardless of the conscious aspirations of the participants;
- whether structural violence is present;
- orientation - each conflict has a goal, the need to achieve a certain result, the behavior of its members, the receipt of the necessary resources, power;
- belonging to a particular institution - political, economic, ethnic;
- additional sources in the form of belonging to a specific social group;
- the persistence of a conflict situation even after the grounds for it disappear, while the damage inflicted on society or organization during intergroup conflicts is higher than for interpersonal conflicts.
Intergroup conflicts require immediate resolution. In the conditions of a separate organization, they disrupt the workflow, cause loss of profits, and dismissal of valuable workers.
Resolution Methods
The search for a resolution method depends on the types of conflict, the causes of occurrence, the size of the group.
There are basic ways to resolve:
- offensive;
- retreat;
- defense;
- evasion.
When is selected offensive strategy, it is assumed the appearance of changes that are undesirable for the opponent.
The retreat method allows one to avoid confrontation without unnecessary losses, while at the same time giving the enemy certain concessions. When dodging, there is a deliberate non-entry into the conflict.
In defense, there is only active opposition and protection against directed aggression.
Methods can be chosen violent. An example is strikes, deprivation of bonuses, wars, the use of "third force".
In non-violent ways, conflict resolution takes place through negotiations.
With neutral method the conflict is resolved by uniting the parties, rejecting one of the parties of their position or eliminating the reasons that led to the confrontation.
Another method is separation of the parties, that is, a break in relations, isolation. If this is a conflict between an individual and a working group, then one of the options is to transfer to another department or dismissal.
Integral method allows you to find a solution that satisfies the interests of both parties. However, in this case, the conflicting parties will have to revise their goals.
Compromise - the ability of both parties to make concessions.
However, its use is not obtained in any group confrontation.
Here it is important the desire of both parties to make concessions, slightly reduce or change their requirements.
In the resolution of conflicts is important to change relationship of opponents to each other.
Sometimes there may be a decay of the conflict - its temporary cessation while maintaining hostility. Under certain circumstances, it can flare up again, sometimes with greater force.
Prevention
Prevent a conflict situation much easierthan trying to solve it. The farther, the more it becomes deeper and more uncontrollable.
The task of management is to organize life in such a way as to minimize the likelihood of conflicts.
Work is conducted in four areas:
- Creating conditions that prevent the occurrence of destructive situations.
- Management optimization.
- Elimination of socio-psychological causes - stress, inequality, informal leaders.
- Preventing, blocking, eliminating personal causes - identifying conflicting individuals, selecting members of groups according to certain criteria.
Important on time identify pre-conflict situation prevent its further development.
Here the skillful use of methods of communication, observation takes the first place.
In large and small groups, organizations apply sociological research, testing staff to identify informal leaders, situations of discontent, peculiarities of interaction within the group and between groups.
It is important to know the interests of the participants, their personal characteristics.
Heads of organizations must remember that frequent disputes talking about an unhealthy situation in the team. If you can’t settle yourself, it’s better to turn to the help of coaches and social psychologists.
About the psychology of intergroup conflicts in this video:
