There are many theories that seek to explain why conflict is part of the human condition. Many academics from various fields have made assertions as to why conflict exists. From the field of psychology, authors have asserted that conflict in our lives can be attributed to such things frustration that leads to aggression (Fox and Spector, 1999), differences in gender (Rennison and Planty, 2003), presence of weapons or instruments of violence (Wagstaff, MacVeigh, Boston and Scott, 2003), social learning (Wareham, Boots, and Chavez, 2009), mental illness, drug and alcohol use (Van Dorn, Williams, Del-Colle, and Hawkins, 2009), lack of communication (Giles, 2007), cognitive dissonance (Zepeda, 2006), ego (Rangell, 1969), and the biology and chemistry of the body (Webb, 1992).

In the realm of political science, authors have asserted that power inequalities (Braumoeller, 2008), class conflict (Olson, 2010), limited resources (Obi, 2010), or culture (Bhandar, 2008) all could play a factor in conflict. In the field of religious study, conflict is often simplified to its simplest proximate cause, the interaction of good versus evil in the hearts of humans (Nolan and Burleigh, 2012). Mediation literature focuses conflict originating from people’s tendency to undertake positional bargaining (Moore, 2003).

Of these major theories, some factors are internal to the parties in conflict and some are external. The bottom-line is that there are many things that can cause a conflict to emerge between individuals or groups of people and each situation is unique. The context of conflict matters and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to conflict resolution as there is no one cause for conflict itself.

References

Bhandar, D.. (2008). Migration, Culture Conflict, Crime and Terrorism. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 9(3), 337.

Braumoeller, B. (2008). Systemic Politics and the Origins of Great Power Conflict. The American Political Science Review, 102(1), 77-93.

Fox, S., & Spector, P. E. (1999). A model of work frustration-aggression. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20(6), 915-931.

Giles, H. (2007). Transforming conflict: Communication and ethnopolitical conflict. Journal of Communication, 57(2), 413.

Nolan, C., and Burleigh, M.. 2012). Moral Combat: Good and Evil in World War II. Ethics & International Affairs: Academics Stand Against Poverty, 26(2), 286-288.

Obi, C. (2010). Oil as the ‘curse’ of conflict in Africa: peering through the smoke and mirrors. Review of African Political Economy, 37(126), 483.

Olsen, E. (2010). Class Conflict and Industrial Location. Review of Radical Political Economics, 42(3), 344.

Rangell, L. (1969). Choice-conflict and the decision-making function of the ego: A psychoanalytic contribution to decision theory. International Journal of Psycho-Analysis.

Rennison, C., & Planty, M. (2003). Nonlethal intimate partner violence: Examining race, gender, and income patterns. Violence and Victims, 18(4), 433-43.

Van Dorn, R., Williams, J., Del-Colle, M., & Hawkins, J. (2009). Substance Use, Mental Illness and Violence: The Co-Occurrence of Problem Behaviors Among Young Adults. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 36(4), 465-77.

Wagstaff, G. F., MacVeigh, J., Boston, R., Scott, L., & al, e. (2003). Can laboratory findings on eyewitness testimony be generalized to the real world? an archival analysis of the influence of violence, weapon presence, and age on eyewitness accuracy. The Journal of Psychology, 137(1), 17-28.

Wareham, J., Boots, D. P., & Chavez, J. M. (2009). Social learning theory and intimate violence among men participating in a family violence intervention program. Journal of Crime & Justice, 32(1), 93.

Webb, K. (1992). Science, biology, and conflict. Global Society. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13600829208443014

Zepeda, S. (2006). Cognitive dissonance, supervision, and administrative team conflict. The International Journal of Educational Management, 20(3), 224-232.

Zumeta, Z. (2000). Styles of Mediation: Facilitative, Evaluative, and Transformative Mediation. Mediate.com. Retrieved from http://www.mediate.com/articles/zumeta.cfm