Volume 04 Issue 02-2024
73
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
04
ISSUE
02
P
AGES
:
73-81
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
(2023:
7.
164
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
ABSTRACT
The article examines the significance and role of social conflict in the development of society. The article attempts to
clarify the nature of social conflict, its causes and consequences, conditions of development, types and functions,
directions and channels. Special attention was paid to the factors that reinforce social conflicts. The main stages of
the development of the conflict are analyzed, and the main ways to resolve the conflict situation are indicated. The
article concludes with recommendations based on the analysis of social conflict processes.
KEYWORDS
Social, society, functions conflict, conflictology, structure, compromise, consensus.
INTRODUCTION
Social heterogeneity in society, differences in income
levels, power, prestige, etc. often leads to social
conflicts. They are an integral part of social life and are
always associated with the subjective consciousness of
people, the contradictory nature of their interests of
certain social groups. Exacerbations of contradictions
give rise to open or closed conflicts only when they are
deeply experienced by people and recognized as an
incompatibility of goals and interests.
A conflict is a collision of opposing goals, opinions,
interests, positions of opponents or subjects of
interaction. Social conflict is a confrontation between
individuals or groups pursuing socially significant goals.
It occurs when one party seeks to realize its goals or
Research Article
THE NATURE OF SOCIAL CONFLICT
Submission Date:
February 11, 2024,
Accepted Date:
February 16, 2024,
Published Date:
February 21, 2024
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ajsshr/Volume04Issue02-12
Kudrat Ibragimov
Senior Lecturer Of The Department Of General Sciences And Culture, Tashkent State University Of Law,
Uzbekistan
Journal
Website:
https://theusajournals.
com/index.php/ajsshr
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Volume 04 Issue 02-2024
74
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
04
ISSUE
02
P
AGES
:
73-81
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
(2023:
7.
164
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
interests to the detriment of the other. Social conflict
(from Latin - clash) is a collision of opposing goals,
interests, positions, opinions or views of the subjects
of interaction.
English sociologist Giddens gave the following
definit
ion of conflict: “by social conflict, I understand a
real struggle between acting people or groups,
regardless of the sources of this struggle, its methods
and means mobilized by each side.”
Conflict is a ubiquitous phenomenon. Every society,
social group, and social community is susceptible to
conflict to one degree or another. The origin of conflict
is based on objectively existing contradictions
between individuals, groups, and organizations. While
creating a real basis for the emergence of conflicts,
social contradictions do not at all coincide with them,
and conflicts are not limited to contradictions. Conflict
in a broad sense means a contradiction that turns into
confrontation.
A conflict arises if: a) contradictions reflect mutually
exclusive positions of subjects; b) the degree of
contradiction is quite high; c) contradictions are
understandable, i.e., individuals and groups are aware
of these contradictions; d) contradictions arise
instantly, unexpectedly, or accumulate for quite a long
time before turning into a social conflict. In general, the
difference between contradictions and conflicts is that
if a contradiction exists objectively, regardless of the
consciousness and will of people, then the conflict is
subjective, its essence lies in the fact that it is
recognized by the subject (an individual or a group of
people involved in conflicting actions).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Conflict interactions can perform both positive and
negative functions. Positive functions include:
constructive - the process of unfolding confrontation
helps to eliminate shortcomings in the actions of
organizations; stimulating (innovative) - a conflict
situation plays the role of a stimulator of changes in
various spheres of public life, embodied in scientific
discoveries, the emergence of a new style in art, etc.;
informational - promotes the dissemination of
previously closed information; socialization function -
promotes the assimilation by individuals of social
experience and knowledge that is inaccessible under
normal conditions. Negative functions include:
destructive - contributes to the destruction of the
social structure within which the conflict arose: family,
sports team, state, etc.; dysfunctional - manifests itself
in the weakening of the activity of the social structure,
diverting the attention of rival parties from performing
their main functions: conflicts in a sports team lead to
a decrease in results, etc.; disintegration - arises as a
result of an acute confrontation between the parties
and leads to the disintegration of a single team into
parts.
Volume 04 Issue 02-2024
75
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
04
ISSUE
02
P
AGES
:
73-81
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
(2023:
7.
164
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
Conflicts are also classified depending on the object
and subject of conflict activity. Depending on the
object, conflict actions are distinguished: in the fields
of economics, labor, politics, family life, religion, etc.
Sometimes these types of conflict are called forms.
Depending on the subject, conflicts can be divided into
intrapersonal, interpersonal, intragroup, intergroup,
ethnonational, and international.
According to the scale and prevalence in sociology,
conflicts are distinguished: local, regional, country
(within one country), intercountry, and global. By
nature, all conflicts are divided into a) conflicts that are
of contact, open nature. Examples of such conflicts are
controversy, violence, war, and class struggle; b)
conflicts that have a hidden, non-contact nature for the
opposing side. These are, for example, intrigues,
conspiracies, secret diplomacy, etc. By degree of
rootedness in objective processes of social
development, conflicts are divided into structural and
non-structural. Structural conflicts represent an
integral part of the normal process of development of
social systems and communities, their periodically
occurring changes and act as an invariable factor in the
transformation of social objects, whether we are
talking about historical eras of the development of
society, social structures, their political design
(oligarchy, totalitarianism, democracy, etc.) or various
social communities (ethnicity, nation, social class,
territorial, religious or subcultural community). This
type of social conflict is rooted in objective trends of
social development. Non-structural conflicts are most
often like random or subjectively determined events,
not related to the patterns of functioning and
development of the corresponding social structures.
DISCUSSION
The duration of conflicts can be very different - from
several minutes or days to several years. Hence the
division of conflicts into short-term, long-term,
permanent (or chronic). The intensity of the conflict
depends on the depth of social problems, the number
of participants, their aggressiveness, or, conversely,
tolerance. Here, different groups of conflicts are
distinguished depending on the goals of the
researcher. Based on the number of participants
(volume), conflicts are divided into interpersonal,
group conflicts, and conflicts between an individual
and a group. They also talk about interstate, interfaith,
and ideological conflicts. According to the methods
and means of resolution, conflicts can be peaceful or
armed. Finally, conflicts differ in their driving forces,
which can be the needs of individuals and social
groups, their interests or values, etc.
In science, there is a special branch of sociological
knowledge
that
directly
studies
this
social
phenomenon - conflictology. One of the most
important parameters for the study of conflicts is the
analysis of the causes of conflicts in society. In
Volume 04 Issue 02-2024
76
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
04
ISSUE
02
P
AGES
:
73-81
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
(2023:
7.
164
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
conflictology,
the
so-called
conflictogens
are
considered, i.e. such actions of individuals that cause
random conflicts. But in sociology, as a rule, random
conflicts are not analyzed. It is customary to divide
conflicts into psychological and social.
Psychological reasons come from the properties of
human character, but at the same time affect the
interests of many people, entire social groups.
Psychological causes of conflicts usually manifest
themselves as a) incompatibility, antipathy; b) the
desire for leadership, for power over people, which can
be covered with a socially positive shell and presented
as a desire for order or, for example, for improving
working conditions and increasing productivity; c)
manifestation of aggressiveness; d) manifestation of
selfishness (deception, shifting responsibility to
another, withholding information), etc.
Social causes of conflicts can appear in the form of a)
status collisions; b) the struggle to change values and
ideas; c) contradictions between material interests,
etc. Social conflicts can develop in different ways. Each
has its reasons, nature, duration, intensity, number of
participants, and driving forces. The main subjects of
conflicts are social groups since their needs, claims,
and goals can only be realized through the use of
power. That is why political forces such as the state
apparatus, political parties, parliamentary groups,
factions, “influence groups,” etc. take part in conflicts.
They are the spokesmen for the will of large social
groups and the main bearers of social interests.
In conflictology, much attention is paid to the concept
of the strength of participants in a social conflict.
Strength is the opponent’s ability to realize his goal
against the will of the interaction partner. It includes
some different components: a) physical force,
including technical means used as an instrument of
violence; b) an information-civilizational form of using
social force, which requires the collection of facts,
statistical data, analysis of documents, the study of
examination materials to ensure complete knowledge
about the essence of the conflict, about one’s
opponent to develop strategies and tactics of
behavior, the use of materials discrediting the
opponent, etc.; c) social status, expressed in publicly
recognized indicators (income, level of power,
prestige, etc.); d) other resources - money, territory,
time limit, psychological resource, etc.
The stage of conflict behavior is characterized by the
maximum use of force by the parties to the conflict, the
use of all means at their disposal. The development of
the conflict is significantly influenced by the
surrounding social environment, which determines the
conditions in which the social conflict occurs. It can act
either as a source of external support for the parties to
the conflict, or as a deterrent, or as a neutral factor.
Volume 04 Issue 02-2024
77
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
04
ISSUE
02
P
AGES
:
73-81
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
(2023:
7.
164
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
Social conflict, as a rule, goes through main stages. In
conflictology, it is customary to distinguish the
following stages of conflict: 1) the hidden stage, at
which the contradictions between the parties to the
conflict are not yet recognized and manifest
themselves only in explicit or implicit dissatisfaction
with the situation; 2) the formation of a conflict - a clear
awareness of claims, which, as a rule, are expressed to
the opposite side in the form of demands; 3) incident -
an event that moves the conflict into the stage of
active actions; 4) active actions of the parties that
contribute to reaching the highest point of the conflict,
after which it subsides; 5) ending the conflict, and this
is not always achieved by satisfying the claims of the
parties.
It is also necessary to remember that at any of these
stages, the conflict can end either independently, by
agreement of the parties, or with the participation of a
third party. Therefore, there is another option for the
development of the conflict. The conflict in its
development goes through certain stages or stages.
Typically, in a social conflict, there are 4 stages of its
development: pre-conflict, conflict, conflict resolution,
and post-conflict. Pre-conflict - this is the stage of
accumulation and aggravation of contradictions due to
the divergence of interests and values of the subjects
of interaction. At this stage, the conflict exists in a
latent form. Conflict stage - characterized by conflict
behavior, i.e. actions aimed at confronting the
intentions, goals, and interests of the opposite side.
The stage of conflict behavior is characterized by the
maximum use of the strength of the participants in the
conflict and their use of all resources of struggle.
However, at the conflict stage, a turning point may
occur if a “revaluation
of values” occurs, i.e. changing
ideas about the opponent, his goals, and appearance.
Then the “phase of revaluation of values” can become
the “phase of choice” of a behavior program
consisting of 3 alternatives: 1) achieving one’s goals at
the expense of another group - i.e. bringing the conflict
to the limit; 2) reducing the level of tension through
partial concessions, which will transfer the conflict into
a latent form; 3) searching for ways to resolve the
conflict completely. The third stage of the conflict -
conflict resolution, is carried out by changing the
objective situation that gave rise to the conflict, as well
as changing the subjective image of the situation in the
minds of the warring parties. Complete resolution of
the conflict means its cessation at the objective and
subjective level, a radical solution to the conflict
situation. With a partial resolution of the conflict, only
external conflict behavior changes, but motives
remain, temporarily restrained by reasonable
arguments or sanctions.
In modern conflictology, the following conditions for
conflict resolution are formulated: 1) Timely and
accurate diagnosis of the causes of the conflict. This
involves identifying objective contradictions, interests,
Volume 04 Issue 02-2024
78
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
04
ISSUE
02
P
AGES
:
73-81
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
(2023:
7.
164
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
and goals and delineating the “business zone” of a
conflict situation. A model for exiting a conflict
situation is created; 2) Mutual interest in overcoming
contradictions based on mutual recognition of the
interests of each party; 3) Joint search for a
compromise, i.e. ways to overcome conflict,
contradictions, conflicting interests, goals, attitudes,
elimination of socio-psychological tension in society.
Post-conflict syndrome, when relations worsen, maybe
the beginning of repeated conflicts at a different level
with other participants.
In modern sociological literature, there are many
classifications of types of conflicts for various reasons.
From the point of view of the subjects entering into
conflict, four types of conflicts can be distinguished: 1)
intrapersonal (can have the following forms: role -
occurs when conflicting demands are placed on one
person regarding what the result of his work should be;
intrapersonal - can also arise as a result of the fact that
production requirements are not consistent with
personal needs or values); 2) interpersonal (can
manifest itself as clashes of personalities with different
character traits, views, values and is the most
common); 3) between the individual and the group
(occurs if the individual occupies a position different
from the position of the group); 4) intergroup.
Conflicts can be classified according to spheres of life
into political, socio-economic, national-ethnic, and
others. Political are conflicts over the distribution of
power, dominance, influence, and authority. They arise
from the collision of various interests, rivalry, and
struggle in the process of acquisition, redistribution,
and implementation of political and state power.
Political conflicts are associated with consciously
formulated goals aimed at gaining leading positions in
institutions in the structures of political power. The
main political conflicts include 1) between branches of
government; 2) inside parliament; 3) between political
parties and movements; and 4) between various levels
of the management apparatus.
Socio-economic are conflicts over livelihoods, wage
levels, the use of professional and intellectual
potential, the level of prices for goods and services,
and access to the distribution of material and spiritual
goods. National-ethnic conflicts that arise during the
struggle for the rights and interests of ethnic and
national groups. According to the classification of Katz,
there are conflicts: 1) between indirectly competing
subgroups; 2) between directly competing subgroups;
3) within the hierarchy and regarding remuneration.
Conflict researcher Boulding identifies the following
types of conflicts: 1) real (existing objectively in a
certain social subsystem; 2) random (depending on
minor
points
concerning
the
fundamental
contradictions that cause the conflict); 3) substitutive
(being a visible manifestation of hidden conflicts); 4)
based on poor knowledge (the result of inept
management); 5) hidden, latent (participants for
Volume 04 Issue 02-2024
79
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
04
ISSUE
02
P
AGES
:
73-81
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
(2023:
7.
164
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
various reasons cannot fight openly); 6) fake (creating
only appearance). The current view is that some
conflicts are not only possible but may even be
desirable. Following this, two types of conflicts are
distinguished: 1) conflict is considered functional if it
leads to increased efficiency of the organization; 2)
conflict can also be dysfunctional and lead to a
decrease in personal satisfaction, group cooperation,
and organizational effectiveness.
An external sign of conflict resolution can be the end
of the incident. Resolving the incident is necessary, but
it is not a sufficient condition for resolving the conflict.
Complete resolution of a conflict situation is possible
only when the conflict situation changes. This change
can take many forms, but the most radical change is
one that eliminates the causes of conflict. It is also
possible to resolve a social conflict by changing the
demands of one side: the opponent makes concessions
and changes the goals of his behavior in the conflict.
There are ways to resolve conflicts, these include
negotiations, compromises, consensus, going to court,
searching for mutual or common interests of the
warring parties, defeating the enemy, etc. However,
each of the methods can contain both positive and
negative features. Thus, a conflict within a group can
be resolved by the disintegration of the group, or
perhaps by the consolidation of the group. Every social
conflict occurs under certain conditions. Nevertheless,
certain ways out of conflicts can be identified: a)
restoration, that is, the return of society to the pre-
conflict state; b) non-interference, that is, waiting, so
that “everything will work itself out on its own”; c)
update, this is an active way out of the conflict by
abandoning the old and developing the new. To
implement this path, you need to see the future, feel
the new things that are being born, have the will and
determination to change, and be able to plan and carry
out what is planned. The general strategy for exiting
social conflict should be to combine these three paths.
Renewal is necessary, this is the key to resolving any
conflict, but it is impossible to update everything due
to the inertia of human consciousness. A natural
process of rollback (reaction) to some old values and
forms should be provided. In addition to the general
strategy for resolving the conflict, goals and means
should be outlined. Also, the implementation of any
way to resolve a social conflict presupposes the
existence of a plan or program that takes into account
the goals and objectives of the means, as well as the
planned set of measures to overcome the crisis.
Compromise is a method of resolving a conflict when
the conflicting parties realize their interests and goals
through either mutual concessions, or concessions to
the weaker party, or to the party that was able to prove
the validity of its demands to someone who voluntarily
renounced part of its claims.
Consensus is the presence between two or more
individuals of similar orientations in some respect, a
Volume 04 Issue 02-2024
80
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
04
ISSUE
02
P
AGES
:
73-81
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
(2023:
7.
164
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
certain degree of agreement, and consistency in
actions. It is not difficult to see that it is precisely at the
stage of conflict resolution that such a situation is
possible under certain conditions. M. Weber considers
consensus as an integral characteristic of any human
community, as long as it exists and does not fall apart.
He contrasts consensus with solidarity, arguing that
behavior based on consensus does not presuppose it
as a condition. It must be remembered that consensus
does not completely exclude the struggle of interests
between the parties. Also, the consensus does not
completely exclude the possibility of a new conflict
flaring up. According to Weber, consensus is an
objectively existing probability that, despite the
absence of a preliminary agreement, participants in
one or another form of interaction will regard each
other’s expectations as signi
ficant for themselves.
Thus, consensus is not always associated with conflict
behavior.
DISCUSSION
It is easy to see that Weber's interpretation considers
this social phenomenon in a broad sense. From this, we
can conclude that consensus is not always generated
by conflict, just as conflict does not always end in
consensus. With this understanding of consensus,
behavior based on agreement is different from
behavior based on agreement. In this case, consensus
is the primary form - it arises in the minds of people.
The agreement is secondary since it is a normative
consolidation of consensus. Achieving consensus in
society presupposes achieving political consensus. It is
usually understood as a state of agreement regarding
a particular political course as a whole or its aspects.
However, such an agreement is not identical to joint
actions and does not necessarily imply cooperation in
the implementation of relevant goals and objectives.
The very degree of agreement in a consensus may vary,
although it is understood that it must be supported, if
not by an overwhelming majority, then at least by a
significant majority.
Varying from issue to issue, the degree of consensus is
usually higher in views on provisions of a more general,
abstract nature. That is why, for more successful
negotiations, the conflicting parties need to start them
with precisely such topics, as this will give them a
better chance of finding a consensus.
To maintain consensus in society, three circumstances
must be taken into account. Firstly, the natural
willingness of the majority to follow existing laws,
regulations, and norms. Secondly, a positive
perception of the institutions designed to implement
these laws and regulations. Thirdly, a sense of
belonging to a certain community contributes to a
certain leveling of the role of differences.
REFERENCES
1.
Giddens A., Griffiths S. Sociology.
–
Polity,
2006.
Volume 04 Issue 02-2024
81
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
04
ISSUE
02
P
AGES
:
73-81
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
(2023:
7.
164
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
2.
Merton R.K. Social Theory and Social Structure.
Glencoe (III): Free Press, 1977.
3.
Кильмашкина
Т.
Конфликтология.
Социальные конфликты. –
Litres, 2022.
4.
Ibragimov K. Social control is an essential
condition for the existence of a social system
//Science and Innovation.
–
2023.
–
Т. 2. –
№. B2.
–
С. 520
-524.
5.
Weber M. Methodology of social sciences.
–
Routledge, 2017.
6.
Knight J. Institutions and social conflict.
–
Cambridge University Press, 1992.
7.
Sorokin P. Social and cultural dynamics: A study
of change in major systems of art, truth, ethics,
law, and social relationships.
–
Routledge, 2017.
8.
Katz N.H., Lawyer J. W. Conflict Resolution:
Building
Bridges.
The
Practicing
Administrator's Leadership Series. Roadmaps
to Success.
–
Corwin Press, Inc., 2455 Teller
Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, 1993.
9.
Ибрагимов К.Д. Миграция как социальное
явление //Научная дискуссия: вопросы
социологии,
политологии,
философии,
истории. –
2016.
–
№. 6. –
С. 115
-119.
10.
Ibragimov K.D. Sоcial mobility is an i
ssue of
implementation
of
human
rights
and
interests//American Journal of Research in
Humanities and Social Sciences.
–
2022.
–
Т. 15.
–
С. 79
-84.
11.
Pazilbekovich M. R. Sоcial conflict: the basis of
social development //American Journal of
Research in Humanities and Social Sciences.
–
2022.
–
Т. 15. –
С. 117
-120.
