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fact useless because it is too late. It is important for business daily practice to identify early
symptoms of interpersonal conflicts to eliminate them in a due course (Hesse/Schrader 1993).
To decode the phenomenon of interpersonal conflicts it is necessary to examine and analyse
the whole process closer:
There is a conflict at the beginning. Affected parties try to explain or avoid the topic of
conflict. There is still balance of power. The questions of distribution of roles can’t be distinctly
clarified and the conflict can be not solved. Both sides are relatively aggressive and even if
a compromise is found, certain pressure remains in the sub consciousness. In the next step an
escalation occurs whereas the pragmatic trigger of the conflict remains in the background.
Aggressiveness which is perceived as obtrusive remains. Personal borders are being defeated and
a chance for peace is overrun. Personal power reserves of one partner are exhausted and attacks
cannot be effectively avoided.
Next level is a resignation. Division of roles has finished, stronger partner loses respect of
weaker partner and becomes a stressor by permanent violation of personal borders. Victim shows
only partial resistance. The last phase is capitulation. Because of personal helplessness, the victim is
depressive and desperate, being cast away from a team, department or circle of friends or escaping
alone. Perception of the victim as seen by the stressor is strongly supported by such a behaviour
(Brinkmann 1995).
Concerning the health consequences, which cause suffering to the victims of interpersonal
conflict, psychosomatic problems based on a long-term stress stand in the foreground. The situation
is worsened by bad diagnoses of medical treatment that do not consider interpersonal conflicts as
the cause of problems. If health problems commonly associated with stress such as stomach ulcer,
intestine diseases, high blood pressure or heart attack are treated only as symptoms, the treatment
can continue with a regression or without any successes, at all. More efficient could be a good
diagnosis and a competent interpersonal conflicts consulting in connection with psychotherapy
measures focused on reasons of health problems. There are various health problems that can’t be
generalized and that are often mentioned by victims of interpersonal conflicts:
Headache / Stomach ache / problems with digesting / Shoulder or muscle ache / Heart or
blood circulation problems / Problems with breathing / Dizziness feelings.
Considerable evidence links stress caused by interpersonal conflicts to substantial physical
consequences (Faller 1990), as well as to psychical problems, which could be observed in: