The series of articles “Conflicts” is devoted to a detailed description of the conflict, the participants in the conflict and strategies for behavior in conflict situations from a psychological point of view. I think it’s no secret that many people use the word “conflict” not only causes unpleasant sensations, but also paints unpleasant pictures from life in our imagination. Our common understanding of conflict is something to be avoided. After all, a conflict situation is usually associated with hostility, misunderstanding, resentment and even tears. But what if we imagine that the conflict can be brought to mutual agreement between the two parties? What if contradictions can be resolved in a constructive manner and even contribute to the development of relations? And you can not run away from the conflict, but learn to manage it? By understanding the causes of the conflict and the behavior of the participants, you can learn not only to significantly reduce the negative consequences of a conflict situation, but also to find new functional ways to resolve it. On the Internet you can find many definitions of the concept of “conflict” “, and all of them will be united by the presence of contradictions or disagreements in the interaction of people. “Conflict” comes from the Latin word “conflictus” and is translated as clash. In psychology, conflict is defined as a confrontation between subjects (a person or a group), caused by intractable and subjectively significant contradictions, accompanied by acute emotional experiences. Conflict confrontation begins only when these contradictions are either perceived as a threat to the subject, or actually are such. The conflict is inherently divided into interpersonal and intrapersonal. In the case of interpersonal conflict, there is no agreement between two or more parties. With intrapersonal conflict, there is a contradiction between social attitudes and the values ​​of the individual. What distinguishes conflict from other interactions between people? There are three characteristic features of a conflict: Participants in the conflict (opponents) experience strong negative emotions and significant stress. Both opposing sides perceive the conflict as a negative phenomenon associated with experiences, disappointments and losses. That is why conflict has such a high psychological price. The emotional component of the conflict is very addictive, which is why it is so difficult to get out of it. The goals and motives of the conflict become the main ones for the participants, crowding out everything else. At the same time, criticality in relation to the significance of victory is lost. Usually, participants in a conflict are confident that they are showing ingenuity when they develop cunning plans to influence their opponent. But alas, this is not so. The conflicting parties, as a rule, act according to the same patterns, using the same strategies and tactics of conflict confrontation. Moreover, they act in a strictly defined sequence. This is due to the fact that the participants in the conflict are dominated by negative mental states, for example, severe stress. Which, in turn, reduces intellectual and creative abilities, leading the individual’s behavior to stereotypical. Despite this, conflicts have not only destructive (negative), but also constructive (positive) consequences. The consequences of a conflict can be considered destructive or dysfunctional if:- they interfere with effective decision making, - long-term unproductive relationships develop between people, - the idea of ​​the opponent is formed exclusively as an enemy, his position is considered negative, and his own is considered the only correct and positive one, - there is a partial or complete cessation of interaction with the opponent, - victory in In a conflict, it is considered more important than solving the problem that has arisen - negative feelings (resentment, anger) and a bad mood arise. We can talk about the functional or constructive consequences of a conflict if: - they contribute to the development of relationships between people, - the parties gain experience.