Interpersonal Conflicts and Their Resolution
Interpersonal conflicts are rarely limited to just two participants—the parties are always inclined to seek allies, involving third parties (e.g., doctors uniting against management). The intensity of confrontation escalates with close communication and subsides upon isolation. The common saying that "truth is born in argument" is practically incorrect: arguments merely disorganize team performance.
Effective Resolution Strategies:
- Involving a Mediator: An independent party helps maintain distance and seek a rational (logic-based) rather than emotional solution.
- Focus on Interests: Participants should insist on the satisfaction of their underlying needs rather than digging in on a rigid, principled position.
- Isolation: An extreme measure. It can be physical (transfer, dismissal) and psychological (maintaining strictly formal relations while avoiding meetings).
Intrapersonal Conflict and Neurosetogenesis
An intrapersonal conflict is the experience of a clash between several opposing needs of an individual (a struggle of "I want", "I must", and "I am" attitudes). This state delays decision-making and causes anxiety, doubt, and a sense of an internal dead end.
Conflict easily arises in individuals with an unstable hierarchy of motives and is one of the main causes of neuroses:
- Hysterical Neurosis: A clash between inflated pretensions and the unwillingness to acknowledge one's own mediocrity.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Neurosis: A struggle between a high sense of duty and the unwillingness to abandon personal needs.
- Neurasthenia: A contradiction between the desire to have much and the acknowledgment of lacking the necessary abilities for it.
Classification of Intrapersonal Conflicts (by K. Lewin)
Kurt Lewin identified three main types of internal conflicts:
- Equivalent (approach — approach). The easiest type. Choosing between equally attractive goals (e.g., choosing a medication from several analogs with a similar effect). The closer an object is, the more attractive it becomes, while the second one is forgotten.
- Vital (avoidance — avoidance). An agonizing choice of the "lesser of two evils" between equally dangerous options (choosing between surgery and severe chemotherapy).
- Ambivalent (approach — avoidance). The presence of contradictory feelings toward a single goal (the desire to recover, but fear of surgery). As the goal is approached, fear and aversion escalate faster than its desirability. Resolving such a conflict independently is extremely difficult; psychiatric or psychotherapeutic assistance is recommended.
Reactions to Frustration and the Concept of Coping
Frustration is the prolonged blockade of pressing needs. S. Rosenzweig identified three types of stable personality reactions to it:
- Extrapunitive: Blaming others and demanding compensation.
- Intrapunitive: Blaming oneself.
- Impunitive: The belief that no one is at fault and everything will resolve itself.
The most adaptive behavioral strategy is the pursuit of the desired outcome oriented toward problem-solving rather than empty emotional discharge.
R. Lazarus introduced the concept of coping (from English cope)—individual ways of overcoming stress. Strategies are divided into active (confrontation, planning) and passive (distancing, self-blame).
Ways of Coping Questionnaire
Developed by R. Lazarus and S. Folkman, this instrument identifies 8 primary coping strategies:
- Confrontation: Active struggle and defending one's interests.
- Distancing: The tendency not to think about the problem seriously.
- Self-Control: Suppressing emotions and refraining from hasty actions.
- Seeking Social Support: Turning for advice and concrete help.
- Accepting Responsibility: Acknowledging that one created their own problems.
- Avoidance: Hoping for a miracle. (An extremely non-constructive variant of avoidance is the use of alcohol and drugs, leading to addiction).
- Planning: Making a plan and step-by-step modification of the situation.
- Positive Reappraisal: Perceiving the problem as a chance for personal growth.
Briefly: answers to topical questions
What degrees of oligophrenia (intellectual disability) are distinguished in psychiatry by IQ level?
In psychiatry, the following degrees of intellectual disability (oligophrenia) are distinguished by IQ level:
- Mild intellectual disability (debility) — IQ 50–69.
- Moderate intellectual disability (imbecility) — IQ 35–49.
- Severe intellectual disability — mentioned in the ICD-10 classification (category F72), though exact IQ values are cut off in the text.
Borderline intellectual disability with an IQ level from 70 to 80 is also distinguished, which according to ICD-10 is not considered pathological.
How does lacunar (dysmnestic) dementia differ from total (global) dementia?
Lacunar (dysmnestic) dementia differs from total (global) dementia by pronounced memory impairments, preserved logical thinking, a correct overall assessment of the situation, and criticism of the illness. In lacunar dementia, accentuation of previous personality traits is noted, whereas in total dementia, the destruction of the personality core occurs.
| Sign | Lacunar Dementia | Total Dementia |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | Gross memorization impairments | Disorders of varying severity |
| Thinking and Comprehension | Generally logical, overall assessment of the situation is correct | Loss of the capacity for logic and comprehension of the situation |
| Critical Insight into Illness | Preserved | Absent |
| Personality | Accentuation of previous traits | Destruction of the personality core |
| Etiology | Diffuse vascular diseases | Damage to the frontal lobes, diffuse atrophic and inflammatory processes |
What are the main components included in the clinical structure of intelligence?
The clinical structure of adult intelligence comprises the interaction of practical skills, concrete-situational representations, and the ability to abstract. When assessing intelligence, a complex of the following functions is analyzed:
- thinking;
- calculation;
- speech comprehension;
- spatial orientation;
- identifying similarities and differences;
- vocabulary.
Karl Jaspers also proposed dividing intelligence into three components, one of which is the prerequisites of intelligence.
What psychological tests are used in psychiatry for the quantitative assessment of intelligence?
For the quantitative assessment of intelligence (calculating the IQ index) in psychiatry, batteries of verbal and non-verbal tests are used. The following methods are applied:
- Wechsler Intelligence Scale (Wechsler Intelligence Scale) — includes 11 subtests for a comprehensive assessment. It is divided into WISC (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) for children and WAIS (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) for adults and adolescents over 16 years of age.
- Raven's Progressive Matrices is a non-verbal pattern recognition test consisting of 60 plates with figures.
The works of Alfred Binet also served as the historical basis for calculating IQ.
To memorize Rosenzweig's three reactions to frustration, use the EII acronym: Extrapunitive (others are to blame), Intrapunitive (self to blame), Impunitive (no one is to blame).
Class and exam questions
How do coping strategies affect the course of somatic diseases?
The use of active coping strategies (result-oriented) reliably improves quality of life. For instance, in melanoma, they reduce relapse rates, and in HIV infection, they provide better immunological parameters.
What happens during prolonged care for a severely ill relative?
If a relative uses passive tactics (strategies of emotional repression or avoidance), this rapidly leads to the development of pronounced symptoms of anxiety and depression. Active tactics exert a protective, positive effect.
What else to study on this topic
- A detailed analysis of statements from the Ways of Coping Questionnaire.
- Mechanisms of addiction formation (alcohol, drug) against the background of avoidance behavior.
- Psychological and physical isolation: indications for use in workplace conflicts.
- The role of a mediator in shifting conflict from an emotional to a rational channel.
- Specifics of obsessive-compulsive neurosis: the balance between a hypertrophied sense of duty and personal needs.
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