Question

As you go through your daily activities, look for examples of people engaged in conflict. You are looking for a conflict to analyze.

• Choose one conflict.

• You may not be a part of the conflict. (Nor may you start it!)

• It must be between two adults. (Children use different rules than adults)

Write a one to two page reaction paper to the conflict. It should answer these three questions:

1. What happened? Describe the chain of events.

2. How was the conflict resolved? Explain the conflict management strategies used.

3. What could the participants have done differently to achieve a better outcome?

Answer 1

I would take example of conflict between husband and wife which is jut like any other. Here, during the first year of the marraige they are not pin pointing at each other's mistakes, as the days pass by they start pin pointing and thus the conflict the issues arise. Let us the husband is staying late in the office due to career or extra work or sometimes he finds that going home would again lead to some arguments. As he thinks that his wife is always nagging. Whereas wife is thinking that his husband doesn't gives her enough time, she has to do all the work and he rests. Both are failing to understand each other are putting their ego first. One day they both had a big quarrel and the wife decided to leave everything and went at her mom's place leaving a note. In the evening husband found that note and was sad, but his ego came in between and even he didn't call her up.

3-4 days passed both didn't call, but both were worried about each other. And hence once husband called which wife recieved, after so many hours of silence both spoke about 1 or 2 mins. But then after a while when both remembered just the negative points of each other. One of the natural startegy which was being used was avoidance. The necessary gap helped them to give time for onseelf. Thus by giving time to oneself, one was ablr to concentrate. Thw wife's parents were with her. She saw them and wondered how her mom accepted her father and had fun about it. She wondered was she expecting any thing extra, why couldn't she be natural and accept his flaws. Whereas husband thought that iy is actually very tedious to maintain work life and house hold work. In this period just one or two kind words can actually give strength. Similarly he should not think only about himself. Thus acceptance was the strategy used.

After a week of so the husband went to collect his wife and she returned. Then they both discussed about their flaws and thus conflict was resolved. The husband and wife should not have raised their voice, and should have try to explain each other more calmly. As well there should be a rule of not letting ego come in between. They should seriously think about the problem, and not from their own point of view.