Midterm Reflection

Midterm Reflection

John Frias

EDUC 746 Conflict Resolution

Midterm Reflection

Part One

The premise of the personality theory is that the personality of an individual impact how they respond to a conflict. Barsky (2017) notes that these traits are as a result of being born with them, learned, or developed because of situations in their lives. This theory allows those in positions of leadership to best resolve conflicts in their specific fields. If leaders can recognize these areas of differences, then they can be better equipped to resolve conflict. According to van Kampen (2009) there are three dimensions of the personality such as introversion/extroversion, neuroticism/emotional stability, and psychoticism. Each of these has an impact on how individuals relate to one another. Depending on the trait, it can make it easier or more difficult to resolve conflict. Even though there are benefits to this theory, the challenge is that personalities change. There are instances where individuals shift their personality in order to give off a specific perception to others. These issues do not afford the leaders a true measure to understand how to best respond to these individuals.

Needs theory is centered primarily on the needs of individuals. Social, self-actualization, physiological, and basic needs are encompassed within the needs theory umbrella. According to Barksy (2017), the basic needs of individuals must first be met before conflict resolution can occur. The idea is that the basic needs drive how a person resolves conflict. Some challenges arise with this theory. The first challenge is that individual needs vary from person to person. Therefore the level of value given to a need is different for each individual. From the perspective of a leader they may attempt to possibly feed their team to help them work through a long project, however, there may be individuals who need sleep more than they need food at that moment. On the other hand, if that is a higher valued need for someone, then it may serve as a motivation (Barsky, 2017).

The idea behind power theory is that there is an imbalance in power and those who hold power ultimately control the situations. The premise is that in all aspects, there is always a shift of power. According to Barsky (2017) in all social systems, there exists struggle. Ultimately there is someone that has a higher power in the conflict. As a result, some are negatively imbalanced in that power scale. The primary issue with this theory as it relates to conflict resolution is that in society, wealth and power exists, and often leaves groups oppressed. It is essential to recognize these inequalities in order to best respond and deal with these.

Part Two

The bible challenges believers to be peacemakers (Matthew 5, NASB), and as a result, I feel that the first strategy I would want to improve upon is the accommodating strategy. The accommodating strategy indicates that there is a deeper concern for the needs of others (Barsky, 2017). There is a level of reasonableness that is expressed through the use of the accommodating strategy. As a school principal, I oversee a large staff and a large student population. As a result, I inevitably end up dealing with conflict. There are times when being more directive is more accessible, especially with the many layers of responsibilities in a day. However, this strategy challenges me to put others first and consider the desires of others.

Another strategy I would like to work on is the collaborating strategy. The busyness that exists in my role gets in the way of collaborating with others. There are so many decisions that need to be made in a given day. However, there are long term decisions that could benefit from a more collaborative approach. I think about the building of culture and examining systems; these are decisions that need the involvement of teams. By involving stakeholders, there is ultimately greater buy-in. As a result, I want to challenge myself to work less in a silo and collaborate with others with more significant frequency which will ultimately improve the community and school efficiency.

References

Barksy, A. (2017). Conflict resolution for the helping professions (3rd ed.) New York: Oxford University Press.

van Kampen, D. (2009). Personality and psychopathology: a theory-based revision of Eysenck’s PEN Model. Clinical Practice and Epidemilogy in Mental Health, 5, 9-21.