INTRODUCTION
Conflict has been defined as the contest or struggle between people who have opposing ideas, needs, goals, values and beliefs (Pia, & Diez, 2007, p. 2). Based on this definition of conflict, it is not always characterized by violence. Nonetheless, there is the possibility of conflicting escalating to destructive results specifically physical violence. At times, conflicts can also lead to new political or social organization which can be seen as productive of the parties involved can deal with the incompatibilities allowing the formation of the new entity. There are different types of conflicts depending on the influencing factors and the agenda of the conflicting parties. According to Solomon (1999, p. 34), conflicts around the globe are different depending on the history and reasons. However, in many African countries, inequalities between regions and within societies have largely been contributing to conflict. Competition of resources among communities has been a catalyst for many conflicts around the world. Stewart, Holdstock, & Jarquin, (2002, p.342) argues that conflicts in Africa have contributed to the underdevelopment and poverty and are causes to among other factors unemployment, extreme poverty, inequalities, and degradation of the environment. Zartman (1989, p. 4) states that third world countries often fall victim to war conflicts citing the prolonged war in Congo during the early 1960’s. In addition, Mutwol (2009, 3-4) provides an in-depth analysis of the conflicts in Sierra Leone and the one in Rwanda that escalated to genocide. In Rwanda for instance, the conflict was between two communities resulting from political and economic reasons.

TYPES OF CONFLICTS
The first type of conflict is the intra-personal conflict that occurs to individuals due to their state of mind or feelings making them be involved in negative deeds. The mind of an individual is controlled and forced into negative thoughts by the environment surrounding them. Folarin, (2015, p. 4) stated that the conflict can also be called a ‘man against self’ conflict since it occurs internally. The actions of the individual however, may affect those who live around him/her. Therefore, this conflict may be brought about by situations such as confusion, depression, anger and frustration among others. These situations bring about stress to the individual such that they may lead to serious and extreme cases such as suicide, erratic behavior, addiction and excessive aggression (Thakore, 2013, p. 9). In most cases, the conflict occurs when there are two or more tendencies, which are incompatible to the individual. Therefore, the individual has to choose from the different tendencies and in the process, discrimination of one tendency occur leading to conflict (Thakore, 2013, p. 9).
Secondly, there is the inter-personal conflict which mostly involves the interaction between the human factors (Zhang & Zhang, 2012, p. 42). Conflict between two or more people in this situation can be caused by their personalities, perception towards each other, values and attitudes and other differences. The interpersonal conflict is referred to as the ‘man against man’ since it involves violence between two or more people (Folarin, 2015, p. 4). The violence may lead to exchange of blows, robbery and gunfights and sometimes the conflict can be intended to sports such as wrestling and boxing. The interpersonal conflict does not necessarily mean that the individuals engage in physical contact but the malice and cold altitude towards each other leads to conflict (Thakore, 2013, p. 9).
Thirdly, there is the inter-group conflict which takes place among various groups. They include ethnic societies, religious groups, interest groups and communities among others (Folarin, 2015, p. 5). When such conflict occurs in an organization, it makes the integration and coordination of activities difficult (Zhang & Zhang, 2012, p. 41). The inter-group conflict has been experienced between religious groups and especially between the Muslims and Christians. Another type of conflict is the intra-group conflict which occurs among the teams or groups (Thakore, 2013, p. 9). Zhang & Zhang, (2012, 42) noted that the conflict could be divided into two; task conflict and relationship conflict. The task conflict occurs when members disagree on certain decisions and ideas regarding the work they are doing. On the other hand, relationship conflict involves individuals who have interpersonal animosity among them which makes them not to listen to each other therefore making completion of task difficult (Zhang & Zhang, 2012, p. 42).
The Inter-organizational conflict occurs when two or more organizations disagree with each other leading to conflict. One of the reasons that can lead to inter organizational conflict is competition. Thakore, (2013, p. 9) stated that the organizational conflict can be divided into two; horizontal and vertical conflicts. Vertical conflict occurs depending on the hierarchical level of individuals in the society. Vertical conflict involves the difference in power where the top ranked people get into conflict with common people in the society. Apart from this, there is the family conflict which is also referred to as the intra-unit conflict. The family conflict involves disagreements between the family units (Folarin, 2015, p. 5). An example of this conflict is between the father and son, mother and father, husband and wife among others. The conflict may be brought about by simple factors in the family which include rudeness, lying, laziness, dispute, inheritance and extreme cases such as property and land.
Finally, the Intra-state conflict involves disagreements in the borders of sovereign states where there are disputes over economic factors such as resource control, land, revenue sharing and uneven development (Folarin, 2015, p. 6). Other factors may include political factors such as power sharing, power equation, political appointments and the quota system.
WAYS TO STOP CONFLICTS/CONFLICT ACTION
Stopping conflicts in a region or organization requires both understanding and analysis. To have a holistic understanding of what causes a conflict and how to resolve it, two accounts are necessary specifically EMIC account and ETIC account.
According to Kottak (2006, p. 47) the EMIC approach determines the thinking of the local people in terms of how they categorize and perceive the world, their behavior rules, what has meaning to them in addition to how they explain and imagine things. Therefore, the EMIC account is the insider view that focuses on culture bound data, getting to determine how people sharing the same culture think. The EMIC account allows for a meaningful description of a person in a certain culture.
On the other hand, the ETIC approach is science oriented and shifts the focus from local categories, observations, explanations, and categories. According to this account, members within a specific culture are often too involved in their activities and hence have an impartial interpretation of the culture. The person using this account to understand a conflict emphasizes what they personally regard as important. Therefore, the ETIC account is based more on generalizations and observations made by the researcher. Both of these accounts are valuable when understanding the basis of a conflict in their own; however, combining the two provides adequate strength. The integration of both accounts specifically in interest areas that concern the features of human beings is critical to understanding personality and behaviors. One of the importance of these accounts is understanding the personality of people and what informs them to be in conflict with other individuals in the same culture or another cross-cultural setting. The ideal nature of understanding the source of conflicts is using both the ETIC and EMIC accounts. In conflict resolution mechanisms such as using third parties for peace agreements requires the people tasked with stopping the conflict to have a prior understanding of what the conflicting parties think, their behaviors and the historical aspect involved. When this is achieved, the most appropriate type of conflict action can be employed. As explained below, destructive or constructive actions can be taken after an understanding of the conflict through the EMIC and ETIC accounts.
TYPES OF CONFLICT ACTIONS
According to research, actions which lead to conflict can either be constructive or destructive. The condition that determines whether the actions will be constructive or destructive depends on the actions taken by the individual. Therefore, it is true that conflict cannot be defined as constructive or destructive and can only be known as an invitation due to the actions involved. Actions from individuals should be referred to as constructive when they are used to aid in the transformation and de-escalation of conflict. The constructive actions are positive to the individual since they lead to ‘human development’. For instance, when two opposing sides in a conflict identify a common link, they begin a process that will lead to a shared decision. For example, if two communities are conflicting over a piece of land and they identify that one side has green pastures which they all depend on livelihood, they can decide to decide to allocate specific seasons that each community will use the piece of land for grazing. In such a case, parties could feel the need to compromise to avoid further destruction of property and life through embracing change (Wansamo, 2018, p. 1). On the other hand, actions can be referred to as destructive when they incite conflict or lead to the escalation and maintenance of violence. The actions which lead to conflict lead to negative results such as destruction of relationships, war, psychological effects and campaign destruction among others. Example of destructive actions is where parties to a conflict maintain on a win-win situation without having to worry about negative consequences. Conflicts actions can be classified into three categories which include soft, mixed and hard actions (Wansamo, 2018, p. 1).
The soft actions are further divided into constructive and destructive. The constructive actions are further divided into integrative and stagnating actions. Integrative actions involve discussions and dialogue, the ADR and problem solving actions. Nevertheless, stagnating actions are less harmful although they are not transformative. For example, the individual may choose to go to court and solve the conflict. Soft actions that evolve from the destructive dimensions can be subdivided into stagnating and harmful actions. The stagnating actions involve the avoidance of threats from the individual which lead to chilling effects or situations. The actions prevent the victims from showing their grievances which may lead to fear due to the negative consequences from the individual causing the conflict. On the other hand, the harmful actions lead to the incitement of conflict such as insults, exclusion from others and hearsays (Wansamo, 2018, p. 1).
The hard actions that lead to conflict can be divided into two categories which include the hard actions from constructive dimensions and the hard action from the destructive dimensions. The hard actions from constructive dimensions include non-violent actions which require well thought out organization, commitment and discipline for them to be effective. The actions should have clear, precise and concise motives or goals (Wansamo, 2018, p. 2). Moreover, these goals have to be communicated in a clear manner for the other party to get them fully. The non-violent actions have to be the last resort after the individual follows all the non-violent avenues. Additionally, Groff and Smoker, (1996, pp.122-123) noted that the stages of Gandhi’s Non-violent action involve six stages which include; utilization of all regular constitutional machinery, agitation, ultimatum, self-purification and the direct action stage in that order. The other category is the hard actions from destructive dimensions which involve violent actions, terrorism/counter terrorism, retaliations and repressions.
In a combined approach between the hard and soft actions, the mediator uses the traditional diplomacy where a stick and carrot is used. Other approaches include the multi-track diplomacy which consists of collaborative and combined actions of state such as the diplomats and the non-state actors while addressing the social-political conflicts and violence through crosscutting the alliance. The combined approach involves three tracks in regards to conflict. Track 1 involves negotiation, arbitration, peacekeeping, peace support and mediation through the UN, international governments and other financial institutions. Track 2 involves problem solving, good offices and pure medication while the final track includes the building of social cohesion, a common ground, peaceful constituencies for the conflict and indigenous resources (Wansamo, 2018, p. 2).
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, conflict is transformed, stagnated, or degenerated. Transformation of the conflict means that the parties under disagreement are able to reach a common ground peacefully. Thus, there is a positive peace and does not necessarily mean that all parties received an equal deal. Transformation of conflict entails making compromise for the benefit of peace and harmony. On the other hand, if there is stagnated peace, negative peace exists and will deepen and escalate the conflict. In other words, stagnation of conflict often leads to a pathological situation including formation of reaction, displacement of people, chilling effects, rigidification, and identification with the aggressor as well as rationalization. In essence, the stagnation of conflicts means that the parties under conflict can still resolve the issues; however, more intervention or change of tactics by the neutrals is required. When conflicts are stagnated, the peace process is stalled for some period. Finally, degeneration of conflicts would mean that more violence is experienced in a region or zone. In such a situation, the parties under conflict fail to recognize the need for having peace between them. As a result, there is prolonged loss of life, destruction of property, increase in poverty, unemployment, breakdown of institutions, and increased dependency on humanitarian actions. Briefly, the different type of actions can achieve transformation, stagnation, or degeneration.

References
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