1 Understanding Conflict

MEDIATING
COMMUNAL
CONFLICT Institute of Chartered
Mediators and
Conciliators (ICMC)
Module1:
Understanding
Conflict
Dr Demola Akinyoade
Co-chairholder, UNESCO Chair on Peace and
Citizenship, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti
(ABUAD)
Outline
oWhat conflict is?
oIt’s essential nature
oIn what form does it exist?
oStages, Types, and Manifestations,
oUnder what conditions does it exist?
oCauses of conflict
o A call to action
©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

6/29/2021 demolaakinyoade@gmail.com; 3
demola@demolaakinyoade.com
What conflict is
Conflict essentials

Describing and defining conflict
• What comes to mind when you think of conflict?
• What does conflict mean to you?
• Activity: Conflict Word Web

Conflict: Definition
• Conflict is the response to perceived goals’ incompatibility
• In an individual...
• Making choices, trade-offs, letting go
• Involving individuals
• Is a relationship between two or more individuals or groups who have
or think they have incompatible goals.
• Occurs when two or more parties pursue perceived incompatible
goals, interests, or values.

Dissecting Conflict contd.
oPerceived incompatibility
oimagined incompatibility
oreal incompatibility
oCommunication of this perception
oPursuit of incompatibility
oHence, conflict is a situation of and response to the
perception, communication and pursuit of incompatible
goals
Dissecting Conflict contd
oConflict is, therefore, about how/what we feel,

communicate, and act towards incompatible goals
in ourselves or between us and others individuals
or between our group and other groups.
oGoal are important because they fulfill particular
needs and satisfy specific interests.

Dissecting Conflict: Perception is
Everything…
oPerception of incompatibility begets
suspicions, fear, and lead to zero sum/win-lose
(or the more he has the less I have) attitude.

What do you see?

Dissecting Conflict
oIf conflict is a response to incompatibility, then the response may be:
osacrifice the goal (depending on its value to us, the costs of attaining
it, etc.)
opursue the hijack of the goal
o (arm-twist, fight, threaten for it with the mind that we have the right to do
so while ignoring the right, interests and needs of the other party(ies))
oWe may resolve the incompatibility
o (recognize the rights, interests, and needs of the other party(ies)
alongside ours and jointly work towards creatively resolving the
incompatibility in a way that satisfy the needs and interests of the other
party).

Implications for Conflict Resolution
oThis understanding of conflict has implications for

conflict resolution.
oResolving conflict is to work on the 3 dimensions
oFeelings of and about incompatibility
oCommunication of and about incompatibility
oAction towards this incompatibility
oTo be continued…

Benefits of Conflict
• Making people aware of
• Fostering personal
problems; development;
• Promoting necessary • Increasing self-awareness;
change; and
• Improving solutions; • Enhancing psychological
• Raising morale; maturity and
• Simon Fisher et al (2000) • fun

Conflict’s Negatives
• We are all too familiar with this…

Violence: The Most Confused Term with
Conflict
• It consists of actions, words, attitudes, structures or systems
that cause physical, psychological, social or environmental
damage and / or prevent people from reaching their full
human potentials (Fisher et al, 2000).
• “Psychological or physical force exerted for the purpose of
injuring, damaging, or abusing people or property”. US
Department of Justice
• Violence involves injuring, hurting or harming people.

Types of Violence
oViolence could be:
oDirect, physical or behavioural (i.e. killing, beating,
torture, maiming);
oStructural or contextual (deprivation of life essentials,
marginalisation etc.);
oCultural (feelings of hatred, fear, mistrust etc); and
closely linked with the last,
oAttitudinal (values, mindsets, that are potentially
violent).
Types of Violence
• It is difficult to draw a clear line between people

killing others with guns or deprivation of food and
people imposing suffering on others either
deliberately or as a result of simply not taking into
account others needs.

Types of Violence
• Direct, structural, cultural and attitudinal violence

are interconnected.
• Efforts to reduce violent behaviour needs to be
complemented by actions directed at structure,
culture and attitudes (including those inherent in our
cultures) if real or positive peace is to be achieved.

Types of Violence
• Though we have traditionally equate conflict to

violence, yet this is wrong.
• Though human conflicts are inevitable, they needn’t
be violent.
• Violence on the other hand almost always have
underlying conflicts.

Essential Features of Conflict
oIt is pervasive in human interactions or relationships
due to our differences, diversity, and interdependence
oIt is inevitable
oIt is neutral, neither negative or positive
oOur (conflict parties and intervenors) attitude and
response to it will determine its nature and outcome

Group Activity: Understanding the Language of
Conflict through Metaphors
• ◆ Conflict is a battle where only one • ◆ Conflict is the wind’s resistance
can be left standing. setting a kite into flight.
• ◆ Conflict is a labyrinth with no way • ◆ Conflict is a grain of sand in an
out. oyster sometimes resulting in a pearl.
• ◆ Conflict is an invitation for • ◆ Conflict is the pain in our body,
dialogue. telling us that something needs
attention.
• ◆ Conflict is a dance.
• ◆ Conflict is fire, offering both the
potential for destruction, and a source
for warmth and light.

Group Activity: Understanding the Language of
Conflict through Metaphors
• ◆ What perspective on the nature of conflict does this metaphor express? (
positive, negative, or neutral?)
• ◆ How does your metaphor either coincide with or contradict the associations
with conflict shared earlier?
• ◆ What does the metaphor suggest about the role that each party plays in
conflict?
• ◆ What does the metaphor suggest about the distribution of power in conflict?
• ◆ How might the perception on conflict within the metaphor influence one’s
response to conflict?

6/29/2021
The Six Blind Men and the Elephant
demolaakinyoade@gmail.com; 23
Under what conditions does
conflict exist?
Causes of conflict

Causes of Conflict
Section Two

Causes of Conflict
•Factors that contribute to people’s grievances.

•Incompatibilities of goals that arise from our
differences.
•Feelings and communication of and about
incompatibilities
•Pursuit of incompatible goals.
Causes of Conflict
• Perceptions • Values
• Approaches to conflict • Power plays and
• Misunderstandings manipulations
• Poor communication • Resources
skills • Goals
• Unclear or unfair • Personal differences
expectations
• Pressure
They are categorized into structural, proximate or triggers.
Causes of Conflict: Structural causes, Proximate
causes, Triggers
• Structural factors: pervasive factors built into the policies,
structures and fabric of a society and which may increase the
likelihood of violence.
• Proximate factors: make for an atmosphere conducive to
violent conflict or its escalation.
• Triggers: single acts, events, or their anticipation setting off or
escalating violent conflict. They affect the timing of the onset
of a violent conflict explaining why the conflict started at that
moment and not why it started.

Theories of conflict causes
• Some explanations given about causes of conflict

are:
oHuman Needs theory
oRelational Theory
oPolitical Theory
oTransformative Theory

Human Needs Theory
oHuman needs are physical, psychological, economic social
and spiritual. If unmet, could generate conflict.
oPeople love recognition, identity, security, autonomy and
bonding. Denial of these could lead to conflict
oUniversally, lack of access to basic human needs is a major
catalyst to violent expressions
•

Relational Theory
oHuman interaction breeds conflicts
oConflict is innate/inevitable because of differences in culture.
oGroup interaction could be marred by poor communication,
miscommunication wrong perceptions, group affiliations,
protection of boundaries e.g. Farmers/Herdsmen.
oHistory of shared memories and sympathy For each other
could steer or complicate
oconflict
oGroup cohesion could be marred by scarce resources,
stereotype, prejudice, fear, and xenophobia
Political Theory
oPolitical power gives so much and actors compete to take
control/advantage of others or even eliminate real or
perceived opponents.
oConflict is as a result of:
oi. Failed or weak state
oii. Absence of regime legitimacy
oiii Poor governance
oPower as critical currency for the gratification of dignity,
recognition is contested for by groups
Transformative Theory
oConflict caused by Systemic/Structural injustice/inequality expressed
by competing social, cultural, religious, and economic political
frameworks
oConflict could be due to social stratification that favors one ethnic or
social group, lack of culture change in line with modern ethos and
new ideas; using alien political structures to govern the group
oTransformation addresses how individuals, society and cultures react
to change
oForces of Change (endogenous or exogenous) V Status Quo

In what form does conflict exist
Stages, Types and Manifestations of Communal Conflict

Stages of Communal Conflict
• No conflict/mechanism for • (Hurting) Stalemate.
constructive conflict • De-Escalation.
management.
• Settlement/Resolution.
• Latent conflict.
• Post-Conflict Peacebuilding
• Emergence. and Reconciliation.
• Escalation.

Stages of Conflict: Latent & Emergence
oLatent conflict stage: potential for conflict exists due to

people’s different needs, values, or interests;
oEmergence: conflict become apparent due to a
"triggering event" and this marks the beginning of the
obvious conflict.
oEmergence may be followed quickly by settlement or
resolution, or it may be followed by escalation, which can
become very destructive.
•
Stages of Conflict: Escalation
oEscalation: refers to an increase in the intensity of a

conflict and in the severity of the tactics used in
pursuing it.
odriven by changes within the parties,
onew patterns of interaction between them, and
oinvolvement of new parties in the struggle.[1]

oIt is the cycle of provocation and counter-provocation that can

quickly transform constructive conflicts into destructive ones;
tractable conflicts into intractable ones.
oIt is the next step after conflict emergence that pushes the
conflict up towards, eventually, a hurting stalemate.
oEscalation is the "most destructive force on the planet,“
(Burgess)

oEscalation is perhaps the most destructive conflict dynamic,

(but one with some constructive attributes)
oHence, it is before or at the point of escalation that conflict
can turn destructive or can be made constructive
oEscalation is normally destructive but can be made
constructive
oMany times negative behaviour from parties give rise to
destructive escalation

Stages of Conflict: Escalation (Destructive)
oWhen conflicts escalate, more people tend to become

involved.
oParties begin to make bigger and stronger threats and
impose harsher negative sanctions.
oViolence may start, or may become more severe and/or
widespread as the number of participants involved in the
conflict increases

• Conflict theorists Dean Pruitt and Jeffrey Rubin list 5

changes that occur as a conflict escalates.
1.Parties move from light tactics to heavy tactics.
Light tactics: persuasive arguments, promises, and efforts to please the
other side.
Heavy tactics: threats, power plays, and even violence.
2.Conflict grows in size. The numbers of issues in contention
expands, and parties devote more resources to the struggle.

3. Issues move from specific to general, and the relationship

between the parties deteriorates.
Parties develop grandiose positions, and often perceive the other side
as "evil."
4. Number of parties grows from one to many, as more and
more people and groups are drawn into the conflict.
5. Goal of the parties changes from "doing well" to winning,
and finally, to hurting the other.

oThe use of force and threats, if regarded as too extreme, can

ultimately backfire and provoke retaliation.
oIn such cases conflicts have the potential to spiral out of control
and have terribly damaging effects.
oDestructively-waged conflicts typically involve great losses for
one or more of the contending parties, and may persist for a
long time.
oTo avoid these negative consequences, a better understanding
of the dynamics of escalation is needed.

Conditions that Encourage Escalation
3 Explanatory models of escalation
Conditions for escalation
• Incompatible Goals • Aggressor-Defender Model
• Identity and Moral Issues • Conflict Spiral Model
• Past grievances and injustice • Structural Change Model

Constructive Escalation
o Sometimes we need to induce escalation (constructive escalation) for a
powerful party to be aware of a conflict
o A party may intentionally escalate a conflict to:
o pressure the other side,
o involve third parties, or
o rally more people to their cause.
o Escalation may be necessary to get a powerful party to engage in a
discussion of how to make things better for the other side which is
suffering from oppression.
o This sort of constructive escalation can have positive effects and help
move parties toward a mutually beneficial relationship.

Constructive Escalation
oA party may use non-coercive as well as coercive methods to
get its adversary to change sufficiently so that the conflict is
either resolved or acceptably managed.
o3 basic kinds of inducements are combined in various ways
to escalate conflicts strategically:
ocoercion,
oreward, and
opersuasion.

Coercion
oCoercion, or negative sanctions, refers to actions, including
symbolic ones that injure or threaten injury to the adversary.
oThey are intended to intimidate and deter the adversary from
acting coercively themselves, and/or to force the opponent to
yield to one's demands.
oCoercion ceases when the opponent complies with these
demands.

Rewards
o"Rewards," or positive sanctions, are more effective than

punishments in interpersonal contexts (based on scientific
studies)
oThat evidence carries influences the use of reward in waging
of violent and deadly conflicts.
oIn this context also, offering a reward for compliance can be
more effective in achieving one's goals than is punishing
noncompliance.

Persuasion
oPersuasive inducements are efforts to influence

an opponent by communicating arguments,
information, or appeals that alter their perception
of the conflict.
oThe logic of persuasion is the recipient becoming
convinced of the other's goal and voluntarily
accepting it.

Shapers of Tactics and Strategies
• Four factors affect the escalation tactics and strategies that

are devised and used in a conflict:
1.the disputants' goals in the conflict,
2.their internal characteristics,
3.the relations between them, and
4.their social environment.
• Understanding these helps in choosing the appropriate
tactics.
• Louis Kriesberg (2003).

Stages of Conflict: Stalemate/Hurting Stalemate
oEscalation may lead to a stalemate, a situation in which

neither side can win. If the pain of continuing the conflict
exceeds that of maintaining the confrontation, the parties are
in what Zartman calls a "hurting stalemate,“

Stages of conflict: De-escalation
oDe-escalation can be temporary or can be part of a broader
trend toward settlement or resolution.
o It involves changes in the attitude and behaviours of the adversaries
leading to new forms of interaction between them.
o De-escalation usually occurs when the parties have reached a
prolonged stalemate in which both sides are being harmed by
continuing the confrontation.
o Parties are now more likely to be willing to negotiate.

oDe-escalation usually proceed slowly and with much effort.
oMany small steps must be taken before more significant de-
escalation strategies can be initiated.
oFull de-escalation from crisis/war to cooperation involves a
series of successive redefinitions of the relationship of the
parties.
oThere must be coordination between of the parties and
interveners for de-escalation to succeed

oSome methods intended to limit escalation and

promote de-escalation are:
ogradual reduction in tension (GRIT),
ode-escalation negotiations,
omedia management, and
ovarious efforts to strengthen relationships between
adversaries.

Stages of Conflict: Negotiation and
Transformation & Peacebuilding
oSuccessful de-escalation paves the way for
negotiation and a potential settlement.
oFinally, if and when an agreement is
reached, peacebuilding efforts work to repair
damaged relationships with the long-term goal
of reconciling former opponents

Stages of Conflict
oThere is no such thing as an outburst of conflict, violence, or
armed conflict, like most natural things, conflict grows from
harmless stage, to a potentially and actually harmful one till it
becomes an all consuming phenomenon.
oHowever, at each stage of its evolution, there are strategies and
tactics to transform its destructive potentials and maximize its
constructive energy. That responsibility is now ours.

Types and Manifestations of Conflict

Types and Manifestations of Conflict
• Conflict can be categorized using different
parameters
• Two popular parameters are:
• Level at which conflict is happening (intrapersonal,
interpersonal, intragroup, intergroup, intrastate,
and international); and
• Causes/drivers of conflict (ethnic, religious, ethno-
religious, electoral, political, resource-based)
Types and Manifestations of conflict
• Level of human interactions: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, intra-
group, intergroup, communal conflict
• Main Driver/causes/character: ethnic, religious, ethno-religious,
political, electoral, resource-based, identity based,
• Geo-political space: intrastate/civil war, international,
transnational
• Force used: violent/non-violent, armed
• Difficulty of management/time: tractable, intractable/protracted

TYPES OF CONFLICT
Intra-personal conflict: Conflicts within a person.
Often involve making personal decision or choice
among various options.
Inter-personal conflict: Conflicts between two or
more people over personal interests, values, and
needs.

o Intra-group conflict:
occur within a group
over group interests,
values and needs and
for which group
members mobilize in
factions. E.g. internal
party crises.
Interpersonal
conflicts among
members of a group can
become an intra-group
conflict. How?
Types of Conflict
oInter-group conflict: conflict between two or more
groups or community.
oInterstate or International conflict: Conflicts
between two or more states (countries). It occurs at
national frontiers. E.g. Israel/Palestine, Iraq/Iran,
Russia/Crimea

Types of conflict
The class will discuss the following types of conflict and
their prevalence across Nigeria
• Ethnic • Communal conflict

• Religious: (sectarian conflict) • Environmental conflict
• Political conflict • Resource based conflict
• Ethno-religious • Identity based conflict
• Ethno-political conflict • Indigene-settler conflict
• Herders-Farmers conflict
A Call to Action
Your roles in all types and manifestations of conflict

A Call to Action
oWe need to quit thinking of our conflicts in "us vs. them"
terms and realize that we have a common enemy—
destructive conflict dynamics—which we need to learn
how to work together to limit.

Class Activity
• Now that we understand conflict, the forms and conditions under
which it exists, we have the responsibility to deploy our knowledge
and skills in responding to conflict constructively,
• Let’s consider what our individual roles will be in reducing destructive
conflict
• Consider the Role(s) You Might Play


1 Understanding Conflict

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

1 Understanding Conflict

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

MEDIATING

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

• Activity: Conflict Word Web

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

oConflict is, therefore, about how/what we feel,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

oThis understanding of conflict has implications for

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

• It is difficult to draw a clear line between people

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

• Direct, structural, cultural and attitudinal violence

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

• Though we have traditionally equate conflict to

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

•Factors that contribute to people’s grievances.

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

• Some explanations given about causes of conflict

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

oLatent conflict stage: potential for conflict exists due to

oEscalation: refers to an increase in the intensity of a

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

oIt is the cycle of provocation and counter-provocation that can

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

oEscalation is perhaps the most destructive conflict dynamic,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

oWhen conflicts escalate, more people tend to become

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

• Conflict theorists Dean Pruitt and Jeffrey Rubin list 5

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

3. Issues move from specific to general, and the relationship

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

oThe use of force and threats, if regarded as too extreme, can

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

o"Rewards," or positive sanctions, are more effective than

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

oPersuasive inducements are efforts to influence

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

• Four factors affect the escalation tactics and strategies that

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

oEscalation may lead to a stalemate, a situation in which

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,

©Dr Demola Akinyoade, +234 (0) 8057702787,