This short paper is designed to (1) further your understanding of Wilmot and Hocker’s definition of interpersonal conflict; (2) help you recognize these concepts in a real-life conflict; and (3) improve your competency at managing conflict.Process
- First, identify an example of an interpersonal conflict you have personally experienced.
- Analyze your perception of the conflict, using the text’s definition.
- Expressed struggle: How has the conflict been expressed? How often? Verbally? Nonverbally? Overt? Covert?
- Interdependent parties: What binds you together? In what ways do you need the other person? In what ways does he or she need you?
- Perceived incompatible goals: What aren’t you getting? What isn’t the other person getting?
- Perceived scarce resources: Examples include time, money, affection, inclusion, etc.
- Perceived interference from others in achieving those goals: In what ways are you interfering with the other person’s goals? How is the other person interfering with your goals?
- Analyze the other person’s view of conflict, according to the five elements. You can do this by (a) directly asking the other party or (b) making your best guesses about how he or she views the conflict.
- Write a 2-3 page paper (not including title page and References) that:
- Summarizes both your view and the other’s view of the conflict.
- Identifies areas where you and the other could improve the management of the conflict.
- Discusses the role perception plays in conflict.
- Reflects what you have learned by completing this process
Please make sure your paper is formatted in APA using a title page and a References page (here is a link:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html), include accurately formatted citations and references of at least two scholarly sources (one can be your textbook).Here is a suggested outline:
Introduction: Open by presenting us with a discussion of how conflict impacts interpersonal relationships. Give us a thesis statement that clearly states your supporting points for the argument you will be moving forth in the paper. (TIP: write your introduction after you have completed the Body of your essay).
Body Paragraph 1: identify and describe the conflict interaction that was not handled correctly being concise yet detailed. Describe to us in the best way possible what happened. Your conflict description should be ½ page long at the most and should include a discussion of both sides' perspectives on the conflict.
Body Paragraph 2: Begin with a strong topic sentence letting us know that you will now explain a concept of interpersonal conflict and apply it to the interaction from your previous paragraph. Next, define conflict using Wilmot and Hocker (2020) and make sure you explain your own interpretation of what this concept means. Finally, connect your description of interaction to the definition of conflict. In other words, explain how the conflict meets the criteria you listed for what counts as a conflict. Specifically, show us who are the interdependent parties (and what makes them interdependent), what are the incompatible goals, what is the perceived interferences, what are the scarce resources, and what is the urgent need to resolve the issue. Make sure that you summarize both your view on the conflict and the view that the other party had on it. How are these views different and why?
Body Paragraph 3: Explain why the conflict was handled ineffectively and identify areas where conflict management could be improved using your textbook or other scholarly sources. Remember that you must connect the conflict you listed to strategies addressed in your resources. Use your textbook and/or other credible sources to show why the behavior was ineffective.
Body Paragraph 4: Discuss the role that perception plays in conflict. Consider talking about family styles, conflict metaphors, or other individual perspectives each side carries about conflict and explain why each side may have felt that they are in the right. Why does that happen?
Conclusion: wrap up your paper by reflecting on what you learned about conflict by analyzing this situation and reading your textbook. Offer a final thought about the impact that effective communication has on avoiding, preventing, or resolving conflict in interpersonal relationships.