Social Conflict Theory: Morton Deutsch's Theory Of Conflicts

Once individuals or parties enter into a negotiation process to resolve conflict, they will bring a clear position on the table in their efforts to settle the conflict. The two basic situation’s people follow when entering into negotiations are cooperative or competitive. A cooperative approach supports the process of interest-based or integrative bargaining, this interested groups to pursue a win-win results. The disputants who work cooperatively to negotiate a solution is more likely to develop a union of trust, and can come up with equally respected options of settlement. The mutual gains approach is considered a practical resolution process. The options of a negotiated settlement are limited in some cases to set amount of rewards

Many scholars in the field of social psychology, with one scholar in particular, Morton Deutsch, have developed philosophies pertaining to the issues that could influence whether a person approaches a conflict cooperatively or competitively. The most important causes are the disposition of the dispute, and the goals each side seeks to get as a result of it. Morgan Deutsch’s theory focuses on the relationship between the involving parties’ goals, which he calls interdependence. According to Morton Deutsch’s theory, the type of interdependence presented between negotiating parties will mainly guide on how the parties cooperate. Morgan Deutsch identifies two key types of goal interdependence, which is positive and negative. The positive interdependence means that each parties’ goals are linked together with such a way that the chance of one side reaching its goal is increased by the odds that the other side successfully reaching its goal. The aim in achieving positive interdependent goals normally result in cooperative circumstances, because any member can “attain his goal if, and only if, the others with whom he is associated with can attain their goals.” Negative interdependence means that each side’s goal are associated together in such a way that the chance of one side, reaching its goal, is decreased by the chance of the other side

However, the atmosphere of the people involved may also play an important role in which conflict issues are brought to the negotiating table. Thus, it is also possible that some people may use a certain character, “because they have a behavior that is adverse to do so.” Morgan Deutsch differentiates between these two key factors of individuality: firmness in the quest of one’s own goals, and cooperate in search of mutual