Perceived and Felt Conflict
Perceived and felt conflict account for the conflict that may occur when the parties involved view situations or issues from differing perspectives, when they misunderstand each other’s position, or when positions are based on limited knowledge. Perceived conflict refers to each party’s per- ception of the other’s position. Felt conflict refers to the negative feelings between two or more parties. It is characterized by mistrust, hostility, and fear.
To demonstrate how this process works, consider this situation. A nurse manager and a surgeon have worked together for years. They have mutual respect for each other’s ability and skills, and they communicate frequently. When their subordinates clash, they are left with con- flicting accounts of a situation, in which the only agreed-upon fact is that a patient received less- than-appropriate care. Now consider the same scenario if the nurse and doctor have never dealt with each other or if one feels that the other will not approach the problem constructively.
In the first situation (perceived conflict), their positive regard for each other’s abilities makes the nurse and physician believe they can constructively solve the conflict. The nurse does not feel the physician will try to dominate, and the physician respects the nurse manager’s lead- ership ability. With these preexisting attitudes, the physician and nurse can remain neutral while helping their subordinates solve the conflict.
If the nurse and physician were experiencing felt conflict, on the other hand, they might ap- proach the situation differently. Each might assume the other will defend her or his subordinates at all costs and communication will be inhibited. The conflict is resolved by domination of the stronger person, either in personality or position. One wins; the other loses.