ESCALATION AND PERPETUATION OF A CONFLICT

INTRODUCTION

Conflict: Differences of Benefits: social change,

interest or difficulties unifying groups, and
to satisfy parties´ reconciling interests.
needs at the same time. Costs: bad strategies can
intensify conflicts.

Conflict source: Incompatibility perception:

Parties' aspirations can not be owns aspiration level, the
satisfied simultaneously.. For other's aspirations, and the
example specific goals, aims, perception of integration
and minimum acceptable.
solutions available.

Conflict resolution strategies Problem-solving tactics:

Contentious Tactics: Reach consensus and
,Punishments , preventive evaluate nonvisible
actions and threats. interests.

This tactic is not always

Contentious Tactics
harmful. Ingratiation helps
Severe contentious Tactics parties to reduce resistance
increase the conflict from their adversary through
escalation. persuasive arguments or
irrevocable commitments.

FACTORS FAVORING ESCALATION OR STABILITY

Encourage escalation: Encourage stability:

Lack of integrative Rejection of escalation,
options or power social bonds, power
inequality. equality, and peaceful
social norms.

ESCALATION PROCESSES
The aggressor-defender model:
The conflict spiral model: . Tactics change from light to heavy.
.Action-reaction dynamic . The goal change from doing well for
.Provocative and defensive themselves to winning, to harming
actions perceived as the other side.
threatening. . Increases the number of
participants.

PERSISTENCE

Selective perception: Self-fulfilling prophecy:

People take into The expectation from one side,
consideration just the about the adversary, makes them
perspectives that support act in a way that provokes the
their thinking and ignore the adversary. Later, they take this as
information that does not. confirmation and creates vicious
circle.

Autistic hostility: Others:

It occurs when the adversary .Group leaders´ own interest
knows the other side to continue fighting.
expectation´s and does not .Excessive commitments.
make any clarence, avoiding
communication.

STALEMATE AND DE-ESCALATION

It represents the equality of Other solutions:
power conditions between Contact and communication can
the parties, non has the give both parties a better
power to move the other. It understanding of their
respective interests and
can be broken by
intentions. Additionally, the
withdrawing, problem-
intervention of a mediator, with
solving and yielding. But
an external opinion, can be
these options are not always useful.
viable.

PRUITT, D. G., & RUBIN, J. Z. (1986). SOCIAL CONFLICT: ESCALATION, STALEMATE, AND SETTLEMENT.NEW YORK: RANDOM HOUSE
Farré Salvá, S. (2004). Gestión de conflictos: taller de mediación. Un enfoque socioafectivo, Barcelona: Editorial Ariel (pp.34-55).