This is a preprint version of a theoretical article intended for journal submission. This article argues that coordination and conflict are two structurally possible states of the same dual-dimensional benefit–harm relation. Coordination emerges when material benefit–harm relations and psychological identification converge sufficiently to make cooperation reproducible; conflict emerges when these dimensions diverge and relations are reclassified as harm-benefit. The article develops two mechanisms. Psycho-material misalignment explains why a materially functioning group can become psychologically brittle before open conflict appears. Mutual accusation explains why conflict escalates when parties mutually classify one another as harm-benefit actors. Historical rupture is treated as a possible threshold-breaking outcome rather than as a teleological necessity. This manuscript has not yet undergone peer review. The preprint is made available for scholarly discussion, citation, and timestamping prior to journal submission.
Yoshiaki Ikematsu (Wed,) studied this question.