What is conflict?
When people think of the word conflict, they often think of wars or violence. However, conflict exists at all levels of society in all sorts of situations. It is easy to forget that we experience conflict every day of our lives.
Conflict happens when two or more people or groups have, or think they have, incompatible goals.
Reflection
- Brainstorm the word conflict. What words come to mind?
- Write down as many different examples of conflict as you can think of.
- Group these examples according to the level at which the conflict occurs (eg: personal, family, church, community, ethnic, state, international).
Conflict is a fact of life. God made each of us in his own image, but he also made us unique. Therefore some of our views and opinions will differ from those of others. Conflict often occurs because of a lack of respect for one another’s needs and views.
However, in most cases we resolve the conflict. From a personal level to international level, good communication is usually used to overcome differences and to reach an agreement before violence breaks out. At a personal level, we often do not realise we are overcoming our differences.
It is important to remember that conflict can be creative. Conflict is sometimes necessary to bring justice where injustice exists. It can provide an opportunity for new social and political systems to be established and can help to shape the future. However, when conflict becomes violent it will usually do more harm than good. After violent conflict, it is often difficult to see the opportunities for a better future due to the widespread destruction of infrastructure and livelihoods, the breakdown of trust and the suffering caused through bereavement, trauma, grief and anger. It is also likely that such social change could have occurred before the conflict became violent.
Reflection
- Think of a time when you have experienced conflict. For example, when you had a disagreement with a colleague or a neighbour.
- How did you deal with it?
- Did the conflict have a positive outcome?
- If so, would the positive outcome have been achieved if the conflict had not occurred?
Types of conflict
There are many different types of conflict experienced by communities all around the world. We suggest four categories into which most conflicts will fall:
1. No conflict
Any peaceful community is likely to face conflict sometimes, although communities in this category are good at resolving conflict before it develops.
2. Surface conflict
This has shallow or no roots. It may be due to misunderstanding of goals, which can be addressed by improved communication and the conscious effort of opposing groups to understand each other’s needs and opinions.
3. Latent conflict
This is conflict below the surface. It might need to be brought out into the open before it can be effectively addressed.
4. Open conflict
This conflict is very visible and has deep roots, sometimes over several generations. Both the causes and the effects need to be addressed.
Communities experiencing surface or latent conflict are those where the disagreement can quickly turn into open conflict. Open conflict can cause more physical, social, psychological and environmental damage than the other types. It affects people who are not involved in the conflict as well as those who are.
Reconciliation
The issues of disagreement that start conflict often hide a deeper problem. Notice that each stage of conflict links to the way people relate to each other. Christians believe that broken relationships are at the root of conflict. A broken relationship with God due to sin leads to broken relationships between people. If broken relationships are at the root of conflict, peace-building must involve reconciliation as well as resolving the issue of disagreement.
Why good relationships are important
- If the issue and the relationship are not addressed, then conflict could more easily break out again in the future.
- As with other development work, it is important to deal with the underlying cause of the problem as well as the symptoms, if change is to be sustainable.
- Restoration of relationships can also avoid conflict on other issues in the future, since there is better understanding and experience between opposing groups.
Organisations seeking to work towards reconciling communities need to remember that they cannot resolve the conflict or restore relationships themselves. Our role as organisations is to provide an opportunity for opposing sides to communicate with each other in order to resolve the conflict and to reconcile with each other.
Tearfund partners have been involved in encouraging peace and reconciliation for a number of years. They have a lot of experience for us to learn from.
