Conflictology in the MFPA

Many different hobbies have changed in the matter of education. In the «dashing nineties» it became fashionable to enter economic and legal universities. But now among their graduates already reigns competition. The niche is also almost filled, behind which the short and capacious abbreviation «PR» has been fixed. But time is ahead. A new interesting direction has been created — conflictology. So new that the computer still underlines the word in red. And so interesting that in America even psychoanalysis is being replaced by conflictology. But psychoanalysis for an American is like a prestigious car. Every «self-respecting person» in the United States, before making a frivolous deal, consulted with his personal psychoanalyst.

Relevance of the problem

Conflicts accompany the entire history of mankind. But only about half a century has passed since they became the subject of scientific research. And even back in 1980-1989, in the Psychological Journal of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the topic of conflicts accounted for only 0,6% of publications (less than a percent). And now the situation has changed dramatically: in bookstores, the number of books in the title of which contains the word conflictology has become unusually large. The authors cite each other (alas, not always with links). Otherwise, they don’t listen at all to what their colleagues offer, trying to “shout out”, contradict others and themselves … That is, as expected, some chaos reigns at the beginning of creative work.

Such a rapid development of conflictology is not without reason. The family is full of conflicts. “Divorces” happen in business as well. Management problems are 70 percent conflictological. Politics is essentially conflictology. Yes, and almost all friendly contacts are fraught with … what is the common phrase “if you don’t want to lose a friend, don’t lend him”.

If earlier sociologists and psychologists dealt with conflicts, now it has become clear that specialists in conflictology proper are needed. It is so clear that departments of conflictology are being organized. And the direction of «conflictology» was established.

The birth of conflictology

St. Petersburg scientists became pioneers in the field of teaching conflictology. They created the State Standard, developed programs for a number of conflict disciplines. Moscow supports the relay race of the northern capital. The Department of Conflictology (the second in Russia) was created at the Moscow Financial and Industrial Academy (MFPA). I (Arkady Petrovich Egides) was invited by the rector’s office of the MFPA to the position of head of this department, since I have been fundamentally involved in scientific and practical issues of conflict resolution for a long time. A quarter of a century ago, in the “Psychological Journal” of the USSR Academy of Sciences / No. 5, 1984 / my article “Psychological Correction of Conflict Communication” was published, which was included in the above-mentioned 0,6% of all journal publications over 10 years, where conflicts were discussed. Subsequently, I wrote several books on conflictological issues. Four of them are frequently reprinted. They are not only sold, but also actively bought by professionals and the general reader. They are easy to find in any major bookstore, such as Biblioglobus, Bibliosphere, Book World…

• Labyrinths of communication, or How to get along with people. 20 printed sheets. AST-PRESS, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 .
• How to understand people, or Psychological drawing of personality. 20 printed sheets. AST-PRESS, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008.
• Labyrinths of thinking, or Scientists are not born (co-authored with Elena Egides). 20 printed sheets. AST-PRESS, 2004, 2006.
• Textbook of family relations, or Marriage without marriage. 20 printed sheets. AST-PRESS, 2006, 2008.

As a matter of self-assessment, I can say that these books are quite informative, written in a sharp journalistic language, accessible to a person with a secondary education. At the same time, they are teaching aids for a number of conflict disciplines taught at the MFPA. If you type the name of their author in the Internet Yandex, about nine hundred items related to these books are updated. Everything is here: reviews, and discussions on forums, shops, prices, covers, excerpts … In some of these points, the books are completely “laid out”.

Applicants and their parents can thus get acquainted with the materials on which teaching will be conducted, and with the specialty itself.

We note and emphasize that the Department of Conflictology of the MFPA focuses its efforts on the development of applied aspects of conflictology.

The future of the conflictologist

And now about where the future conflictologist can apply himself, what is the meaning of his life, how his work will be paid …

Let’s start with the last one. Psychoanalysts earn the most in the capitalist West. And we already know that in the United States, psychoanalysts are gradually being replaced by conflictologists. Of course, conflictology in Russia is in its infancy, so let’s not engage in hatred. But much is now moving along the «Western» paths. They, too, should not be copied, but creatively improved. And yet it is clear that conflictologists as specialists in relationships and communication in the near future, if not in the next two or three years, will earn good money.

Of course, to steal what lies badly, to privatize what, according to the law, is not subject to privatization, to cheat — and here your “earnings”, unlike, are higher. But, having secured momentary glamorous joys at the expense of others, a person lives, in the end, badly. Hatred on the part of the bypassed, deceived, robbed leads to murders (and therefore to life in fear for life), to suicides, and fatal diseases.

No, the salary of our specialist will be transparent, clean and fairly large.

But … for this, we still have to work on creating the image of a conflictologist. After all, PR people also created an image for themselves over the course of several years. Conflictologists will have to carry out educational work. Then it will become clear to the not entirely successful entrepreneur that the reasons for failure lie in his internal conflicts and in his relationships with people. He will bring order here with the help of psychological trainings. And his business will go better. And the employee will begin to treat his work creatively, will interact correctly with managers, subordinates and colleagues (including competently and delicately conduct fair conflicts). Look, and he will find cheerfulness.

And gradually the trickle of clientele will begin to expand.

Requirements for a conflictologist

In the activities of a conflictologist, it is important that he be, as it were, “above the fight”: both on the side of the client and on the side of his conflict partner. He will advise both of them without compromising his conscience.

Another important principle must be observed. Most likely, the employer will want to hire a conflictologist in order to cope with subordinates. Here one cannot avoid a dependent position from the employer, and if this is resisted, then a conflict with the employer himself is inevitable. Both this and that are unacceptable for a professional conflictologist. We at the MFPA prudently teach students the discipline «Entrepreneurship in the field of psychological and conflict counseling.» That is, the conflictologist becomes an independent expert and independent consultant in conflict situations, about which both employers and employees will contact him. The question, therefore, is solved in a fundamentally different way: it is not the conflictologist who goes to the employer, but the employer who goes to the conflictologist. When is it coming? We repeat, when the employer has problems in which the conflict specialist can help. At the same time, a conflictologist can work both as an individual and as a representative of a conflict resolution firm. It will be better if self-government is implemented in this team. At the same time, the conflictologist, in order to be “above the fight”, must take an oath like the Hippocratic oath.

The points of application of the efforts of the conflictologist are numerous. A conflictologist can advise and conduct trainings for managers of different levels. It is needed for negotiations. The non-repayment of debts is also his concern: not “beating out”, but psychological assistance to the debtor. Attacks… — and here conflictology preparation is needed. Conflictologists will be in demand in the «departments of relations», which are now being introduced everywhere. The participation of a conflictologist is necessary when applying for a job. The conflictologist of our school will be able to quickly determine the personal psychotype and recommend the occupation corresponding to it.

The role of the conflictologist is also great in the distribution of service roles; our research has revealed that some psychotypes can play a leadership role, others are able to perform representative functions, others will be able to create comfort in the office, fourth ones will ensure discipline with an “iron fist” … Etc. If in the team each psychotype occupies its own niche in accordance with its characteristics, the company’s affairs are going smoothly. And “not in accordance” means discord and failure in the team. Who would like a little more detail on this topic — read below the material «Psychotype and production.»

Any person needs a conflictologist. After all, it makes sense to prevent unproductive conflicts. But if the conflict is still imposed on you, you need to be able to conduct it correctly, you need to learn how to conflict. Only the conflict should be manageable and without excessive emotions. Let it be «economical» (why, for example, scream in vain and waste energy). It is necessary to increase the effectiveness in conducting a just conflict. And, by the way, this will serve to prevent terrorist attacks and crushing revolutions.

The conflictologist will become a central figure in family consultations. Divorces are most often not at all inevitable; in a problematic couple, it is quite possible to achieve harmony. And relationships with children can be more peaceful and happy if parents treat children as individuals, not property.

Medicine … Infections and fractures have basically learned to treat. But where do heart attacks and strokes come from? It is no longer a secret that if aggression is restrained, then it violates the internal sphere of the body. This is the main reason. A conflictologist will teach you to redistribute the flows of aggressive energy in such a way as to minimize interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts, which will prevent bone fractures and mental breakdowns, and hence heart attacks with strokes.

Summary

It would be possible to continue the “list of benefits” of the conflictologist, but it seems to me, however, that what has been said is enough for applicants and their parents to make the right decision to enter the MFPA, where students are taught at the Faculty of Management in the specialty “Conflictology”!