1. I believe the statement, “the goal of interpersonal communication is to understand, not to agree.”, means that simply agreeing with someone doesn’t truly solve conflict. Interpersonal conflict is or will be a part of every relationship. When someone just agrees and doesn’t say their opinion then they are not involving themselves into the conflict. This can make the other person think that you don’t want to resolve the conflict, or that it might not be important. When it comes to interpersonal conflict, the goal is to resolve the problem in order to preserve the relationship. When facing conflict, there are a few possible outcomes. When trying to solve conflict, it is best to aim for a win-win outcome. With a win-win outcome, the needs of both people are met. There are a few stages that lead up to resolving a conflict. First, one must identify the conflict within the relationship. Second, one must
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When viewing the argument between Pat and Chris, I noticed a few unproductive conflict management strategies. First, there was some unproductive defensiveness in this argument. Pat tried to control the behavior of Chris by threatening with abuse. One way to avoid these unproductive strategies, is to focus on the current issue and not on controlling the situation in order to win. Near the end of the argument, I see the use of blame and gunnysacking. For example, when Chris blames Pat for failing the chemistry class. Chris says that because he spent his time helping Pat with her assignment, he failed chemistry. Chris then blames Pat for him not becoming a doctor, and being happy. Also, when Pat brings up Chris’s affair which isn’t related to the problem at hand. One productive conflict management strategy that should be used instead of blaming, is empathy. It is important to try and understand the other person’s situation, or “walk in their shoes”. Also, when resolving conflict, focus on the current issue at hand. As opposed to problems that happened in the
When viewing the argument between Pat and Chris, I noticed a few unproductive conflict management strategies. First, there was some unproductive defensiveness in this argument. Pat tried to control the behavior of Chris by threatening with abuse. One way to avoid these unproductive strategies, is to focus on the current issue and not on controlling the situation in order to win. Near the end of the argument, I see the use of blame and gunnysacking. For example, when Chris blames Pat for failing the chemistry class. Chris says that because he spent his time helping Pat with her assignment, he failed chemistry. Chris then blames Pat for him not becoming a doctor, and being happy. Also, when Pat brings up Chris’s affair which isn’t related to the problem at hand. One productive conflict management strategy that should be used instead of blaming, is empathy. It is important to try and understand the other person’s situation, or “walk in their shoes”. Also, when resolving conflict, focus on the current issue at hand. As opposed to problems that happened in the