Abstract
Conflict is a process that begins with an experience of difference of clashing needs or interests – that unfolds and changes over time, and can range from extremely negative to extremely positive interactions. Addressing conflict from a dynamical perspective is a breakthrough in research on conflict in recent years. Any conflict can be treated as a dynamical system. A dynamical system is defined as a set of interconnected elements that change and evolve in time. A change in each element depends on influences from other elements. In terms of a dynamical perspective, conflict is inherently dynamical process. Unlike the traditional concepts and methods, the dynamical perspective considers conflict and conflict-related processes as a complex system. The relationship among the parties to conflict forms the specific conflict mode which decides the relationships and behavior rules for all parties in conflict and becomes origin and internal dynamic of conflict.
The key to understanding conflict from the dynamical perspective centers on the notion of attractor. Attractor, in short, is a state or a reliable pattern of changes toward which a dynamical system evolves over time and to which the system returns after it has changed. In psychological meaning, attractor channels mental and behavioral experience into a narrow range of coherent states. The nature of attractors determines the state and evolving tendency of conflict. Therefore, intervening conflicts means to change the inherent dynamical characters of the conflict system, namely the attractor.
To change the nature of a conflict system needs to establish a new pattern in which the original attractor has transited from negativity to positivity. A change in attactor can reactivate the conditions that form entirely different model of thought, feeling, and action in relations between the parties.The deconstruction of an attractor for a destructive conflict involves restoring the multidimensionality of the conflict system, introducing negative feedback loops into the relationships, and seting up a new equilibrium among conflic-related parties.
In order to assess the nature of a conflict system, we can use the Attractor Software that assists us in mapping the things affecting a conflict’s dynamics – how it moves and operates over time. Specifically, it assists us in answering the following questions: What is the current state of the conflict? What is the potential for a conflict to develop in a constructive or destructive way?
In general, from the dynamical perspective, a successful intervention represents that all aspects in a conflict have formed a new mental and behavior pattern along with a different psychological and social environment. The dynamical perspective on conflicts offers an innovative set of ideas and methods to comprehend and resolve conflict.
Key words
conflict /
dynamics /
attractor /
conflict intervention
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The Application of Dynamics and Attractor Theory in Conflict Study[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2013, 36(1): 245-250
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