It refers to some form of friction, disagreement, or discord arising within a group when the beliefs or actions of one of more members of the group are either resisted by or unacceptable to one or more members of another group. Conflict can arise between members of the same group, known as intragroup conflict, or it can occur between members of two or more groups, and involve violence, interpersonal discord, and psychological tension, known as intergroup conflict. Conflict in groups often follows a specific course. Routine group interaction is first disrupted by an initial conflict, often caused by differences of opinion, disagreements between members, or scarcity of resources. At this point, the group is no longer united, and may split into coalitions.
Common elements in the definitions of conflict: there are recognized opposing interests between parties in a zero-sum situation; there must be a belief by each side that the other one is or will act against them; this belief is likely to be justified by actions taken;
Conflict is a process, having developed from their past interactions.
Michael Nicholson defines it as an activity which takes place when conscious beings (individuals or groups) wish to carry out mutually inconsistent acts concerning their wants, needs or obligations.[4] Conflict is an escalation of a disagreement, which is its common prerequisite, and is characterized by the existence of conflict behavior, in which the beings are actively trying to damage one another.
Definitions
While no single definition of conflict exists, most definitions involve the following factors:
There are at least two independent groups, the groups perceive some incompatibility between themselves, and the groups interact with each other in some way.
"Process in which one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party" (Wall & Callister, 1995).
"The interactive process manifested in incompatibility,