Answer:
Although there are many elements of conflict, the following three are among the most notable:
1. Interests.
Conflicts often arise when we fail to carefully think through our own interests. For example, you may take offense after hearing through the grapevine that a coworker took full credit for a project you completed together. You certainly have a short-term interest in correcting that false impression, if it’s true. At the same time, you may be overlooking a greater long-term interest: contributing to a functional workplace where conflicts are handled productively and relationships grow stronger. When you bring such long-term interests to the forefront, you become more capable of looking into the rumor carefully rather than immediately confronting your coworker.
When conflicts escalate, a new interest can emerge: the desire to punish or otherwise harm the other party for perceived wrongdoing, write Gabriella Blum and Robert H. Mnookin in The Negotiator’s Fieldbook (ABA, 2006). This interest in exacting revenge often arises when we assume the worst about the other party and their contribution to the conflict.
More specifically, due to the fundamental attribution error, a pervasive human tendency, when things go wrong in our lives, we often blame factors outside of our control; but when things go wrong for others, we tend to blame fundamental aspects of their character. For example, if your roof leaks a year after it’s been replaced, you may accuse the roofing company of doing a bad job, while the roofing company may blame you for not cleaning your gutters. The truth may lie in a gray area in between.
