Advantages and Disadvantages of Conflict

Video Transcription

Hi, I'm Julie Tietz, and welcome to conflict resolution-- putting the pieces together. Today we're going to discuss advantages and disadvantages of conflict. So let's get started with our key terms.

Disadvantage-- a perception that continuing a conflict impedes a party's goals or needs. Advantage-- a perception that continuing a conflict in and of itself fulfills a party's goals or needs. People often interpret conflict as good and bad. Along with this interpretation, party's may see conflict as being to their advantage or disadvantage.

Let's look at how parties could see conflict to be to their disadvantage, and let's use the example of filing a lawsuit. Some disadvantageous conditions of conflict that may be viewed in filing a lawsuit could be time, energy, money, and life costs. You might not have the time to take off work or to put into the extra energy that is required of going through a court process.

You also know that it will cost you a significant amount of money in legal fees and to hire an attorney, and you may not have those resources. And the lawsuit may take away from other aspects of your life that you enjoy.

There is also a potential for loss. You know that you may lose the case. It's not a guarantee. And all of that time, energy, and money that you put in could be put to waste.

There's also a potential to damage relationships, whether that's with family members that you had to spend time away from or even the other party that you're considering filing this lawsuit against. What if you want to continue a relationship with that person after the suit, but they are really put off that you would sue them?

Parties may also perceive conflict to be an advantage. Let's use the example of war on how parties may perceive that to be an advantage. Some common conditions where parties might see conflict to be advantage could be the potential for gain. In war, parties could gain land, natural resources, and political power or other types of power, as well.

It also can motivate action. War may prompt change in leadership that could promise to act on policies that you care about that the other leadership didn't really want to recognize.

It also is an advantage because it could perceive you to exhibit moral or right behavior. The war may be based on a moral issue and what is believed to be right. In engaging in the war, we are making a stand for our beliefs. And that is to our advantage because our beliefs would then win out in the end if we prevailed in the conflict.

There is also the potential to reinforce in group identity. There might be a real or perceived threat that our identity and who we are is being attacked by the opposite side or the other group that we are fighting against. And through the war, we could be unifying our own group for a cause and making it stronger against the outgroup.

Parties that perceive conflict to be an advantage may view conflict resolution processes as a disincentive. This could be because they believe that being in the conflict benefits them more than resolving it. So let's look at some examples here of why it might be a disincentive. Use the example for Congress.

There are a majority and minority parties, and the majority party may not want to resolve an issue with the minority party because they are in power. And in doing so, they may have to give up some of the things that they necessarily wouldn't have to because they retain all of the power.

Another example would be filing a lawsuit. We looked at how it's a disadvantage, but they may see it as an advantage because they have a very strong case. And going to court could get them more money or other resources if they would go through a conflict resolution process that would be outside of the court.

Also, being a part of an activist group against a city policy. And rather than attempting to go to the city council, the group might feel that canvassing and protesting the issue will unify them and may even get more people to join. The strong group membership is more important than working with the city and resolving their conflict.

So now that we covered advantages and disadvantages of conflict, let's go over the key points. Some disadvantages of conflict could include cost of time, energy, money, and life. Potential to lose. And damages to relationships.

Some people may view conflict as an advantage because there's potential for gain. Motivation for action. To prove moral or right behavior. And it could unify in group identity. And if conflict is viewed as an advantage, then conflict resolution processes may be viewed as a disincentive.

Thank you for taking the time out to view this lesson, and I hope to catch you again next time.