Human Communication Essay
phantom-prince
chapter_8.pptxChapter 8: Managing Conflict
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyRvL58gpxo
The Breakup -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn3I6-DBLJM
Kardashians -- http://youtu.be/ITrpJ584OaM
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Incoming dates
| Week 8 (5/19 – 5/21) | Managing Conflict in Relationships | Chapter 8 | Quiz Ch. 8 |
| Week 9 (5/26 – 5/28) | Communicating in Groups | Chapter 9 | Quiz Ch. 9 Case Analysis #2 (5/27 by 11:59p.m.) |
| Week 10 (6/2 – 6/4) | Leadership and Decision Making in Groups Communicating in Organizations | Chapter 10 Chapter 11 | Quiz Ch. 10 & 11 |
| Week 11 (6/8 – 6/10) | Final Exam Week |
What are your personal conflict triggers? Interpersonal vs professional vs familial vs romantic? Relational, cultural, or situational contexts?
Chapter Outcomes
Describe the factors that lead to productive conflict
Identify conflict triggers in yourself and others
Explain the forces that influence how people handle conflict
Media Representation
What is conflict? How do we define it? Where do we see it? When does it look like conflict even if it isn’t?
Understanding conflict
Conflict: an interaction between two or more interdependent people who perceive they have contradictory goals or scarce resource
Conflict Management: The way we engage in conflict and address disagreements with our relational partners
Unproductive vs productive conflict
Unproductive: poorly managed conflict within relationships
Likely to have a negative impact on the individuals as well as the relationship
Can lead to lack of well-being in the workplace and health problems
Productive: effectively managed conflict
Fosters healthy debate when people are actively engaged
Leads to better decision making
Spurs relationship growth
What triggers conflict?
Conflict Triggers
Inaccurate Perceptions: misunderstandings
Incompatible Goals: such as different priorities about serious life decisions
Unbalanced costs and rewards: when a person thinks the costs of the relationship outweigh the rewards
Conflict Triggers (cont.)
4. Provocation: instigation of conflict
Aggressive Behaviors
Identity Management
Lack of fairness (resources)
Incompetence (under performance)
Relationship Threats
Let’s fix each other! (or something… we’re not trained professionals)
Split into groups of 3-5 people.
Take turns going through each of your triggers
Focus on the contexts (relational, situational, or cultural)
Evaluate if they stem from:
Inaccurate Perceptions: misunderstandings
Incompatible Goals: such as different priorities about serious life decisions
Unbalanced costs and rewards: when a person thinks the costs of the relationship outweigh the rewards
Provocation: instigation of conflict (Aggressive Behaviors, Identity Management, Lack of fairness, Incompetence, Relationship Threats)
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Chapter 8: Managing Conflict (Day Two)
Netflix: HIMYM S5E6 1:30
Water Boy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu7A8LIzL1o
Big Bang -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94jv_-MZ8FU
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Chapter Outcomes
Evaluate and employ strategies for managing conflict in different situations
Recognize your ability to repair and let go of painful conflict
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1. What co-culture membership do you belong to? Can be racial, ethnic, organization (e.g., Fraternity/sport), etc. Are you high/Low-Context? Are you individualistic/collectivistic? 2. What are the conflicts typically about? How does your co-culture handle conflict?
Factors affecting conflict
1. Power Dynamics: Differences in power related to…
Differences in material resources
Withholding something the other person values (affection or attention)
2. Attitudes Toward Conflict
Affect how willing you are to discuss disagreements
Affect how productively you handle conflict
Taking Conflict Personally (TCP): destructive tendency to see all disagreements as personal assault
Factors affecting conflict (cont.)
3. Communication Climate
Defensive: feeling threatened
Supportive: honestly examining conflict
Uncertain: unclear or tentative
Factors affecting conflict (cont.)
Culture and Conflict
Individualistic Cultures: emphasize personal needs, rights, and identity
Collectivistic Cultures: emphasize group identity and needs
High-Context Cultures: rely more on indirect verbal messages and nonverbal communication
Low-Context Cultures: expect verbal directness and for people to say what they mean
Factors affecting conflict (cont.)
Co-cultures affect how we deal with conflict
Gender: Men more likely to voice complaints
Women likely to criticize, men more likely to stonewall
Age: older individuals (60+) less likely to engage in open conflict
Online conflict: Are there preferred channels (e.g., phone, texting, Twitter, etc.)? Does culture play a factor here?
Factors affecting conflict (cont.)
Communication Channel
Poor channel choices can lead to conflict
Channel choice may be indicative of conflict management techniques
Online Anonymity and Conflict
Flaming: posting deliberately hostile messages
Trolling: provocative message to elicit a response
Cyberbullying: multiple attacks to a direct person
Conflict Styles – Escapists
Escapists: try to prevent or avoid conflict
Helpful when the conflict is unimportant or may damage a relationship
Typically unproductive if they keep the people from dealing with the conflict
Avoiding: not expressing your own needs and goals, even if you have a grievance
Obliging (accommodating, yielding): giving in to what the other person wants in order to avoid engaging in conflict
Conflict Styles – Competitive
Direct Fighting (dominating, competitive fighting): views conflict as win or lose battles
Assertiveness can turn into verbal aggressiveness or attacking
Used to “defend” a person from a perceived threat
Indirect Fighting (passive-aggressive): unwilling to face the issue opening
Conflict Styles – Cooperative
Compromise
Finding the middle group where both parties are giving up something to gain something else
Advantage: quick decision making
Disadvantage: can become tiresome if it is habitual
Collaboration
Win-win solution
Both parties focus on issues, ask probing questions, play devil’s advocate, and address underlying needs
Reconciliation
Reconciliation: attempts to deescalate conflict
Apology: admitting wrong-doing and taking responsibility for role in the conflict
Requires metacommunication: communicating about how we communicate
Forgiveness: letting go and moving beyond the conflict
Let’s fight! (Or, not, depending on your conflict style…): Recap
Interactant:
Benefits or downsides of mediated or FTF?
Did you struggle with taking on the selected conflict style?
Were you able to identify the other person’s conflict style?
Accomplice:
What were the types of interactions that you had? (social support?)
Any attempts at reconciliation?
Did you notice any changes verbally or nonverbally in your partner?
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