The 15 Types of Conflicts (and How to Resolve Them)

Conflicts are common in interpersonal relationships, because each person has their idea and vision of the world. This can cause differences that go beyond simple discrepancies.

Poor communication can be the origin of the conflict, so this is a necessary element in mediation and correct conflict management. In this article we review the 11 types of conflicts and how to solve them

Table of Contents

Causes of conflicts

Efficient communication is a necessary tool to understand others and the problems that can lead to conflicts, because it allows us to understand differences in cultural and ideological values that may be at the root of the problem and, in addition, it can prevent the conflict from going away. of the hands.

The causes of conflicts can be different, since there are different types of conflicts For example, there may be conflicts over economic interests between two companies, emotional conflicts in the internal conflicts of a person, political conflicts between two countries, religious conflicts between two communities or conflicts of competence between two police forces.

Although conflict is seen as something negative, sometimes it can be an opportunity to improve things that are not going well or not working.

Conflicts are an inevitable part of human interaction, arising from differences in opinions, values, needs, or interests. While conflicts can be challenging, they also present opportunities for growth, understanding, and resolution. Understanding the types of conflicts that can occur and learning effective strategies for resolving them is essential for fostering healthy relationships and achieving positive outcomes. Let’s explore some common types of conflicts and how to address them:

Interpersonal Conflicts

Interpersonal conflicts occur between individuals or groups due to disagreements, misunderstandings, or interpersonal tensions. These conflicts often arise in personal relationships, workplaces, or social settings and can be triggered by various factors, such as communication breakdowns, conflicting goals, or personality differences.

Resolution Strategy: To resolve interpersonal conflicts, it’s essential to practice active listening, empathy, and effective communication. Encourage open dialogue, express your feelings and perspectives calmly, and strive to find common ground or compromise.

Intrapersonal Conflicts

Intrapersonal conflicts are internal struggles that individuals experience within themselves. These conflicts typically involve conflicting desires, values, or emotions and can result in feelings of uncertainty, self-doubt, or inner turmoil. Intrapersonal conflicts may arise when individuals face difficult decisions or moral dilemmas.

Resolution Strategy: To address intrapersonal conflicts, engage in self-reflection, introspection, and mindfulness practices. Identify and explore the underlying causes of your inner conflict, clarify your values and priorities, and consider seeking support from trusted friends, mentors, or mental health professionals.

Intergroup Conflicts

Intergroup conflicts occur between two or more groups with competing interests, identities, or ideologies. These conflicts often manifest in societal or political contexts, such as ethnic conflicts, ideological disputes, or intergroup rivalries. Intergroup conflicts can lead to polarization, discrimination, or violence if left unresolved.

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Resolution Strategy: To resolve intergroup conflicts, promote dialogue, reconciliation, and mutual understanding between conflicting groups. Encourage empathy and perspective-taking, address underlying grievances or injustices, and work towards common goals that benefit all parties involved.

Conflict of Interest

Conflict of interest arises when individuals or groups have competing interests or goals that cannot be reconciled easily. These conflicts often occur in professional settings, such as business negotiations, legal disputes, or organizational decision-making processes, where individuals must balance personal interests with ethical responsibilities.

Resolution Strategy: To address conflicts of interest, establish transparent policies, procedures, and ethical guidelines that promote fairness, integrity, and accountability. Disclose potential conflicts of interest openly, seek impartial mediation or arbitration when necessary, and prioritize the collective welfare over individual gain.

Value Conflicts

Value conflicts occur when individuals or groups hold conflicting beliefs, principles, or moral values. These conflicts often arise in diverse societies or multicultural environments, where cultural, religious, or ideological differences may lead to tensions or disagreements over fundamental issues such as human rights, social justice, or ethical norms.

Resolution Strategy: To resolve value conflicts, foster dialogue, tolerance, and respect for diversity. Encourage cross-cultural communication, education, and awareness-building initiatives that promote mutual understanding and appreciation for different perspectives. Focus on shared values and common humanity to bridge divides and promote solidarity.

Conclusion

Conflicts are a natural and inevitable part of human interaction, but they can also serve as opportunities for growth, reconciliation, and positive change. By understanding the different types of conflicts and employing effective resolution strategies, individuals and groups can navigate disagreements constructively, strengthen relationships, and build a more peaceful and harmonious society.

Types of conflicts

As you can see, the causes of conflicts can vary: values and ideologies, resources, expectations within relationships between people, clash of personalities, the protection of territory, etc. These causes tend to be more common in different types of conflicts. But, How are conflicts classified? What types of conflicts are there?

Conflicts may vary depending on their content, their veracity or according to the participants. Below you can find the different types of conflicts and their characteristics.

1. Conflicts according to their veracity

Depending on their veracity, conflicts can be:

1.1. Real conflicts

Real conflicts are those that actually exist, and that are caused by various causes whether structural or environmental (economic, legal, relational, etc.), among others.

1.2. Imaginary conflicts

Imaginary conflicts derive from misunderstandings, interpretations or perceptions In this type of conflict there is no will on the part of the parties.

1.3. Invented conflicts

Invented conflicts, just like imaginary ones, are not real Now, unlike these, there is an intention on the part of one of the parties who, generally, wants to obtain some benefit. This makes much of this phenomenon actually manipulation or gaslighting.

2. Conflicts according to the participants

Depending on the actors participating in the conflict, it may be:

2.1. Intrapersonal conflict

This conflict occurs internally, in the mind of the individual This means that it has its origin in private events: thoughts, values, principles, emotions… These conflicts can have different degrees.

2.2. Interpersonal conflict

Interpersonal conflicts are those that occur in the interaction processes between people They normally appear quickly, since it is only necessary for a single person to feel attacked to start one, which means that it can arise as a result of misunderstandings. They can be caused by practically any reason, from jealousy to a conflict of interest in relation to the use of a type of resource.

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23. Intragroup conflict

Intergroup conflicts occur between members of a group or team, for various reasons: due to interpersonal differences or because some of the group participants do not share the ideas of the organization, among others. These types of conflicts can destabilize the smooth running of a team or group and affect its effectiveness and cohesion, since they create extra concern or even completely block the collective’s ability to operate, something that in turn can produce more conflicts. in a chain reaction.

2.4. Intergroup conflict

Intergroup conflict is a conflict between groups and can be very destructive, since, in extreme cases, The violence derived from this type of conflict is intended to strengthen the group and can even be justified It usually has its causes in ideologies, prejudices or territorial disputes.

On the other hand, unlike what happens in interpersonal conflicts, it is more difficult for them to arise from misunderstandings, since the presence of other people means that the “contagion effect” necessary to be considered an intragroup conflict delays the appearance of conflicts. this. Furthermore, a greater number of observers makes it less likely that misunderstandings will appear and persist over time.

For example: the conflict between two companies for economic reasons, a war between peoples for their religion or between “hooligans” for their football team.
If you want to know more about the negative impact of intergroup conflicts, you can read our article: “Hooligans: the Psychology of football hooligans”

3. According to the content

Depending on the content, the conflict can be:

3.1. Relational conflicts

These conflicts occur between members of a family, friends or couple

For example: Due to poor communication between the two members of a marriage, they end up arguing about any everyday trifle.

3.2. Conflicts of interest

Conflicts of interest have to do with motivations and the needs of each person or group and with the resources present at that moment.

For example: when a worker wants more money for the day he works and the company does not want to pay him more.

3.3. Ethical and value conflicts

They have to do with the culture and environment in which the person has grown up They are frequent and complex, since it is not easy for a person to change the principles that govern their behavior. In the case of ethical conflict, it usually occurs when a person has to make a decision that does not agree with their deepest values.

3.4. Leadership and power conflicts

Leadership conflicts mainly affect organizations and can affect performance and to the health of workers. A characteristic phenomenon of conflicts has to do with the power struggle, since many authors talk about the relationship between conflict and power, as it is one of the most common causes.

3.5. Personality conflicts

Personality is a set of stable traits and qualities that shape a person’s way of being and make us unique. Personality, being an inflexible phenomenon, can be the basis of many intergroup conflicts

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4. Conflicts depending on the proximity of positions

This criterion serves to classify the types of conflicts according to the degree to which the parties involved collide with each other in a more or less indirect way, due to the conflicting interests they hold. Let’s see what categories it gives rise to.

4.1. Direct conflicts

In this case, the conflict is explicit and clear between the two parties whether they are people, organizations, States, etc.

4.2. Proxy conflicts

This type of conflict includes cases in which there are two or more parties between the opposing positions of two others, and the latter do not confront each other directly, but instead they support others that do come into direct conflict A clear example is found in wars by proxy, or subsidiary wars.

5. Conflicts according to the degree of confrontation

Finally, in this classification we rely on the degree of intensity or violence of the confrontation.

5.1. Conflict without violence

When this type of conflict occurs, the parties involved do not attack the others with physical or verbal violence, maintaining great respect for the integrity and rights of the opponents.

5.2. Conflict with violence

A violent confrontation is already taking place here, either through physical attacks or verbal violence to subdue the other parties.

How to resolve conflicts

Conflicts, on many occasions, can lead to positive changes For this it is necessary that they be managed correctly. It is important to understand that making a correct diagnosis of the conflict will determine success in resolving the different problems. If we approach an intergroup or interindividual conflict as if it were an intraindividual conflict, the chances of success may be slim.

For example, we may find ourselves working in a company in which the main problem is the bad practices of the human resources department, which are generating a role conflict in the workers. They do not know exactly what their functions are, and this conflict generates stress and discomfort in employees. If we approach this situation as a worker problem, we will be attacking the wrong target.

Perhaps we can reduce the symptoms momentarily, but the problem will still be there, in poor organizational management. Therefore, before taking any action to alleviate the effects of the conflict, it is necessary to know what the root or basis of the problem is.

However, There are some principles that we must apply if we want to resolve the conflict: