COMPROMISING POSITIONS: THE PSYCHODYNAMICS OF THE DEATH INSTINCT'S INFLUENCE ON ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

To more fully understand impediments and enablers to simultaneously meet or minimize differences between personal and others' interests in the right way and at the right time, this paper explores the role of psychodynamics in organisational conflict resolution. Specifically, it is the application of death instinct theories as described by Freud, Klein, Alford, and Spielrein that are used to explore quality of compromise and reasons behind inabilities to engage in collaboration. In both individual and group contexts, low-level and high-level compromise are discussed in terms of being influenced through the process of identity dissolution that is akin to feelings of dying, which may or may not be precursors to wanted and unwanted transformation. It is the quality of conflict resolution that has an impact on the quality of organisational behaviour development and acceptance of organisational change. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]