CONFLICT RESOLUTION. STYLE FLEXING IN PROFESSIONAL CMMUNICATION

Conflict resolution

“Conflict” from the Latin root “to strike together” can be defined as any situation where incompatible activities, feelings, or intentions occur together.

The process of defusing antagonism and reaching agreement between conflicting parties, especially through some form of negotiation. Also, the study and practice of solving interpersonal and intergroup conflict.

Strategies of diffusion

Strategies for resolving or preventing the development of conflict can be classified as avoidance, diffusion, or confrontation.

Conflict resolution in education includes any strategy that promotes handling disputes peacefully and cooperatively outside of, or in addition to, traditional disciplinary procedures.

The negotiation process

Most conflict resolution programs employ some form of negotiation as the primary method of communication between parties. In the negotiation process, parties with opposing interests hold conversations to settle a dispute.

Negotiation can be distributive, where each party attempts to win as many concessions to his or her own self-interest as possible (win-lose), or integrative, where parties attempt to discover solutions that embody mutual self-interest (win-win).

Responses to a conflict

withdrawing from a conflict; demanding or requesting the opposing

party to concede; providing reasons the opposing party

should concede (appealing to norms); proposing alternatives to the opposing

party; proposing “if” statements, suggesting

willingness to negotiate.

Cooperation and Competition

Social Facilitation As a rule there is a higher degree of responsiveness and greater productivity in a group setting than when the same individuals work alone.

Extreme competition involves some form of aggression, and earlier we noted the cultural influences on this behavior. Social practices can mold aggressive or peaceful response patterns. A most important cultural factor is childhood experience.

It was more than proximity that reduced the tension. It was working together toward overriding goals, important to all concerned.

Managing communication conflict Simply put, “communication is the

management of messages for the purpose of creating meaning”. However, add to that a minimum of two interacting people who perceive incompatible differences or threats to something they value-the result is communication conflict.

For every relationship, conflict is a likely ingredient. However, the ability to effectively manage communication challenges does not necessarily come naturally.

Interpersonal communication is characterized by specific features

1. Face to face interaction between two people,

2. People treat one another as unique individuals,

3. Interdependence, and 4. An amount of disclosure of personal

information.

The aim of the managing communication conflict

Conflict is an unpleasant fact of life. It is impossible to avoid conflicts, and the challenge is to learn how to handle them effectively.

Conflict, when handled well, can develop stronger and more satisfying relationships. The purpose of this unit is to identify individual styles in which people manage conflict in order to meet their expectations and goals.

Conformity

Adaptation of one’s behavior or beliefs to match those of the other members of a group.

Conformity describes the adaptation of behavior that occurs in response to unspoken group pressure. It differs from compliance, which is adaptation of behavior resulting from overt pressure. Individuals conform to or comply with group behavior in an attempt to “fit in” or to follow the norms of the social group.

Defense mechanisms

Defense mechanisms allow negative feelings to be lessened without an alteration of the situation that is producing them, often by distorting the reality of that situation in some way.

Defense mechanisms include denial, repression, suppression, projection, displacement, reaction formation, regression, fixation, identification, introjection, rationalization, isolation, sublimation, compensation, and humor.

Denial and repression

Denial and repression both distort reality by keeping things hidden from consciousness. In the case of denial, an unpleasant reality is ignored, and a realistic interpretation of potentially threatening events is replaced by a benign but inaccurate one.

Either feelings or events (or both) may be denied. In very young children, a degree of denial is normal.

Suppression Suppression differs from repression and

denial in that the undesirable feelings are available but deliberately ignored (unlike repression and denial, where the person is completely unaware of these feelings).

Suppression generally works by replacing unpleasant thoughts with others that do not produce stress. This may be done instinctively, or it may be done deliberately in a therapeutic context.

Projection and displacement

Projection and displacement allow a person to acknowledge anxiety-producing feelings but transfer them to either another source or another object. In projection, the undesirable feelings are attributed to another person or persons.

An angry person believes others are angry at her; a person who is critical of others believes they are critical of him.

Rationalization

Rationalization, another type of defense mechanism, is an attempt to deny one’s true motives (to oneself or others) by using a reason (or rationale) that is more logical or socially acceptable than one’s own impulses.

Like rationalization, isolation is a rather complicated defense.

Learned helplessness

Learned helplessness in humans can begin very early in life if infants see no correlation between actions and their outcome. Institutionalized infants, as well as those suffering from maternal deprivation or inadequate mothering, are especially at risk for learned helplessness due to the lack of adult responses to their actions.

Five-level hierarchy of needs

1) biological (food, water, oxygen, sleep); 2) safety ; 3) belongingness and love (participating in affectionate sexual and non-sexual relationships, belonging to social groups); 4) esteem (being respected as an individual); and 5) self-actualization(becoming all that one is capable of being

Sheldon’s somatotypes and character interpretations

Social competence

Mastering the social, emotional, and cognitive skills and behaviors needed to succeed as a member of society.

Social competence refers to the social, emotional, and cognitive skills and behaviors that children need for successful social adaptation.

Importance of social competence

Whereas parents are the primary source of social and emotional support for children during the first years of life, in later years peers begin to play a significant complementary and unique role in promoting child social-emotional development.

Many are emotionally dependent on adults, and immature in their social behavior.

Developmental changes and social competence

The key markers of social competence listed in the previous section are remarkably consistent across the developmental periods of the preschool years, middle childhood, and adolescence.

Across these developmental periods, prosocial skills (friendly, cooperative, helpful behaviors) and self-control skills (anger management, negotiation skills, problem-solving skills) are key facets of social competence.

Family contributions to social competence Because the family is the primary context for social

development, there are a number of ways in which family interaction patterns may help or hinder the development of children’s social competence.

As children get older, family interaction styles and the ways in which parents discipline may play a primary role in the development of noncompliant or aggressive behaviors in children.

Interventions to promote social competence The purpose of social skill training is to help

unpopular person learn to treat their peers in positive ways. Commonly taught skills include helping, sharing, and cooperation. The skills might also include anger management, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.

Problem solving skills (e.g., identifying the problem, considering alternative solutions, choosing a solution and making a plan) are often included in social skill training programs.

Socialization

The process by which a person learns to conform individual behavior and responses to the norms and values of society.

Socialization is a lifelong process that begins during infancy in the complex interaction between people.

Communication Style Defined The impressions that others form about

us are based on what they observe us saying and doing.

They have no way of knowing our innermost thoughts and feelings, so they make decisions about us based on what they see and hear.

Fundamental Concepts Supporting Communication Styles

Individual differences exist and are important. Individual style differences tend to be stable. There is a limited number of styles. A communication style is a way of thinking

and behaving. To create the most productive working

relationships, it is necessary to get in sync with the behavior patterns (communication style) of the people you work with.

Learning to Cope with Communication Style Bias Almost everyone experiences

communication style bias from time to time. The bias is likely to surface when you meet someone who displays a style distinctly different from your own.

Accurate self-knowledge is essential for developing strong interpersonal relationships. Knowledge of your communication style gives you a fresh perspective and sets the stage for improved relations with others.

The Dominance Continuum Low dominance. These people are

characterized by a tendency to be cooperative and eager to assist others.

High dominance. These people give advice freely and frequently initiate demands.

Where Should You Be on the Dominance Continuum? Is there any best place to be on the

dominance continuum? Not really. Successful people can be found at all points along the continuum.

Nevertheless, there are times when people need to act decisively to infl uence the adoption of their ideas and communicate their expectations clearly. This means that someone low in dominance may need to become more assertive temporarily to achieve an objective.

The Sociability Continuum

Sociability can also be thought of as a measure of whether you tend to control or express your feelings. Those high in sociability usually express their feelings freely, whereas people low on the continuum tend to control their feelings.

The person who is classified as being high in sociability is open and talkative and likes personal associations. The person who is low in sociability is more reserved and formal in social relationships.

Versatility: The Third Dimension Persons who can create and maintain

interpersonal relations with others, regardless of their communication styles, are displaying versatility. Versatility can be defined as acting in ways that earn a social endorsement.

Endorsement means simply other people’s approval of our behavior. People give us their endorsement when they feel comfortable and nondefensive with us.