Psychological Determinants of Conflicts in Interpersonal Communication

Abstract

The article considers the concept of "conflict" from the point of view of socio-psychological analysis. Conflict is understood as an inevitable phenomenon of interpersonal relations in society. The article describes the socio-psychological prerequisites for the emergence of interpersonal conflicts in communication. The emergence of conflict situations in the process of communication is influenced by various factors: objective and subjective ones. In terms of socio-psychological analysis of the conflicts’ emergence in interpersonal communication, it is of interest to reveal the essence of the concept “personal conflict” as an integrative personal property that indicates an increased tendency to conflict behavior. Interpersonal communication is diverse, as the goals of its participants are. At the same time, it is interesting that in the process of communication the goals of the participants are realized and the process of communication itself can act as a goal in itself. The personality plays an important role in the course of conflict confrontation, as well as its value orientations, and features of the motivational-need sphere. The spheres of manifestation of interpersonal conflicts are extremely diverse. These are conflicts in the family, in professional activities between employees or management, conflicts among schoolchildren and adolescents. You can continue indefinitely. All these types of conflicts are united by the each of the parties’ desire to prove their case, to defend their interests and goals, to a greater extent to the detriment of the interests of the opposite side. The functions of interpersonal conflicts are dual in nature. The destructive role of conflicts that arise in interpersonal communication stands out most clearly: they reduce the effectiveness of the activities performed, contribute to the deterioration of the socio-psychological climate and the emergence of various kinds of emotional problems. The causes of conflicts in communication are mostly psychological in nature. Personality and its individual characteristics play an important role in the conflict. The study of such a characteristic as a person’s conflict nature allows a deeper understanding of the conflict behavior emergence nature, to identify patterns of conflict response. In this regard, it is relevant to consider the psychological foundations of conflict management.