Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution refers to the methods and processes through which disputes between individuals, groups, organizations, or states are addressed and brought to an end, ideally by dealing with their underlying causes rather than merely suppressing their symptoms. Approaches include negotiation, mediation, arbitration, adjudication, dialogue, and restorative practices. Lewis Coser argued that conflict can be socially productive, and that its resolution depends on the institutions available to channel it, while Ralf Dahrendorf stressed the regulation of conflict through institutionalized bargaining. Morton Deutsch’s research on cooperation and competition demonstrated how constructive climates encourage resolution, and Roger Fisher and William Ury’s principled negotiation promoted attention to shared interests. John Burton developed human needs theory, arguing that deep-rooted conflicts persist when basic needs for identity, security, and recognition are denied. Johan Galtung distinguished negative peace, the absence of direct violence, from positive peace, which requires justice and the removal of structural violence, and he advanced the notion of conflict transformation. Howard Zehr’s restorative justice emphasizes repairing harm and rebuilding relationships. Critics argue that resolution frameworks can ignore inequality and power asymmetries. Conflict resolution remains central to research on peace studies, law, organizations, communities, and international relations.