The Cognition of Conflict: Ontology, Dynamics, and Ideology - Conflict and Multimodal Communication: Social Research and Machine Intelligence - page 6

1.2.3 Strength and Quality

The nature, strength, and resolution of a conflict depend on the involved goals:

1. The strength of a conflict (more or less hard) derives from the value V of the
involved goals .
2. The shorter the interval, meaning the smaller the difference between the V of the
competitors' goals, the harder the decision: the goals are equivalent, and there
is little basis for showing a preference for one over the other (especially if V is
high).
These two dimensions are combined: the hardest conflict is where
VofP D V of Q, with very high values.
3. Any subjective conflict requires “giving up” or “losing” something, some goal
that must be sacrificed; the greater the value of that goal, the harder the decision.
(We might even have a threshold of unacceptable losses that prevents us from
taking any decision; we do not want to bear the responsibility of such a loss,
independently of the gain).
4. Actually, choices must be between expectations, not just goals. Thus, what
matters is not only the value of (goal) but also the ascribed probability or, better,
the perceived possibility, the strength of the expectation. A lower-value goal can
prevail over a high-value goal if it is perceived as much being more realistic,
accessible, or likely.
Moreover, there are so-called avoidance goals and achievement/maintenance
goals. For example, I have the goal that not P, to avoid the occurrence or
continuation of P, versus the goal that P may remain or become true. And we
have conflicts between two positive Gs, or between two negative goals, between
two harms, losses, dangers (Lewin 1935 ).
There are also so-called ambivalent goal states: outcomes that are partly
positive (realization of goals) and partly negative (frustration of goals). Any (to
be) pursued G should in fact be ambivalent since it necessarily implies some cost
and risk.
5. Also, the qualitative nature of the goal matters. If the conflicting goal is not a
“motivating” one but merely a pleasant side effect, an additional benefit, its role
is different: giving up is simpler. It does not just depend on the value of the goal.
There are, on the contrary, unrenounceable goals: for example, values,
symbolic and identitarian goals, or the will of dogmatic authorities. No mediation
is possible, it is either yes or no! All or nothing (Sect. 1.8.4 ).

1.2.4 Conflicts Between Different Reflection Layers

There are conflicts at different mental layers and between layers.
For example, a conflict between a given goal of mine and my goal of not having
such a goal!