The paper analyzes the nature of conflict as pedagogical category in the modern scientific researches. The author studies the different approaches to its definition and its classification. According to the different criteria, it may be subdivided into: personal, interpersonal, intergroup; horizontal, vertical; emotional, official; constructive, destructive; communicative, interactive; short, prolonged In this article the main structural components of each conflict and the dynamics of its development are defined. So there distinguished: the object of the conflict, the participants of the conflict (opponents), their position, the conflict situation, incident, the development and solving of the conflict. The author suggests four main stages of the conflict development: the beginning of the conflict situation, its realizing of the opponents, coming to the conflict behaviour and solving of the conflict.

Key words: conflict, different approaches to its definition, the classification of the conflict, different criteria, the object of the conflict, the participants of the conflict, the conflict situation, incident, conflict behaviour, the development and solving of the conflict.