|
|
| |
|
Definitions
of Conflict: An Academic Sampler
Compiled
by Gregg Walker,
Professor of Speech Communication at Oregon State University
As
a component of his course COMM 440/540 - Theories of
Conflict and Conflict Management, Gregg Walker developed
this table providing a sampling of various scholarly definitions
of conflict. Professor Walker warns his students that
this page is "continually under construction" and that
additional definitions may be added as they are discovered.
People interested in watching the evolution of this table
can visit the original at his course
site.
Author(s)
Definition Key
Terms
| Coser
1956 |
Social
conflict is a struggle between opponents over values
and claims to scarce status, power and resources. |
struggle,
opposition, scarcity |
| Schelling
1960 |
Conflicts
that are strategic are essentially bargaining situations
in which the ability of one participant to gain his
ends is dependent on the choices or decisions that
the other participant will make. |
strategy,
bargaining, dependence |
| Deutsch
1973 |
A conflict
exists whenever incompatible activities occur . .
. one party is interfering, disrupting, obstructing,
or in some other way making another party's actions
less effective. |
incompatibility,
interference effectiveness |
| Wall
1985 |
Conflict
is a process in which two or more parties attempt
to frustrate the other's goal attainment . . . the
factors underlying conflict are threefold: interdependence,
differences in goals, and differences in perceptions. |
goals,
interdependence,
perceptions |
Pruitt
and
Rubin 1986 |
Conflict
means perceived divergence of interest, or a belief
that the parties' current aspirations cannot be achieved
simultaneously. |
interests,
aspirations, beliefs |
| Conrad
1990 |
Conflicts
are communicative interactions among people who are
interdependent and who perceive that their interests
are incompatible, inconsistent, or in tension. |
communication,
interdependence
tension |
Tjosvold
and
van de Vliert
1994 |
Conflict--incompatible
activities-- occurs within cooperative as well as
competitive contexts . . . conflict parties' can hold
cooperative or competitive goals. |
incompatibility,
cooperation
competition |
|
Folger,
Poole, and
Stutman 1997
|
Conflict
is the interaction of interdependent people who perceive
incompatible goals and interference from each other
in achieving those goals. |
interaction,
interdependence
incompatibility |
Professor
Walker notes: "As Table 1 reveals, these definitions
have much in common. First, they indicate the inevitability
of conflict in human affairs. Second, they reveal
key features of conflict situations. Many of the
defninitions, for example, stress that conflicts involve
interdependent parties who perceive some kind of incompatibility
between them."
How do you define conflict? Are there any unique aspects
of conflict in higher education settings?
Page
last updated
11/27/2005
A
project of Campus Conflict Resolution
Resources.
Supported by a FIPSE grant from the US Department of Education
and seed money from the Hewlett Foundation-funded CRInfo
project.
Correspondence
to CMHE Report
(Attn: Bill Warters)
Campus Conflict Resolution Resources Project
Department of Communication
585 Manoogian Hall
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI 48201.
Please
send comments, bug reports, etc. to the Editor.
© 2000-2005 William C. Warters & WSU,
All rights reserved.
|
 |
|
|
|
