Reflection Paper On Conflict

We each possess unique ideas, opinions, beliefs, and feelings about specific situations in life. This uniqueness is a large part of what makes us human. Because we all have our own individual way of looking at things, we each have a different viewpoint on what is proper or improper. With all that variation in society conflict is inevitable! Conflict is antagonistic in nature and we all must find ways to work through conflict issues both at work and at home. This paper describes different types of conflict, the influences I personally had in learning to deal with those conflicts, some of the conflicts that I commonly experience, how I go about dealing with those conflicts, and how conflict affects me on a personal level. There are four main

Your parent’s actions play a vital role in determining what type of conflict manager you will be. Like so many things in life, conflict styles are learned behavior. My parents divorced when I was 4 years old. Growing up in a broken home can be challenging and the impact on your life is far reaching. However, I am fortunate to have wonderful step-parents on both sides. Essentially having 4 parents afforded me the chance to experience many different styles of conflict resolution while I was young. My mother tends to be very head-strong and prefers to have things done in a very exact way. I think it is safe to say she was my earliest example of forcing or what is sometimes referred to as competing. My stepfather has never been one to be bothered with trying to solve, force, or accommodate anyone. Instead, he was my primary example of avoiding. Most decisions were made and enforced by my mother and that seemed to suit him. In contrast, my biological father is an unparalleled collaborator and is great at finding creative solutions that tend to work well for almost everyone involved. Lastly, my stepmother believes firmly in compromise. I have always believed she holds everyone as equals and as such everyone should be willing to give something up for the greater good of the group. I would like to think that exposure to all these different approaches has given me a well-rounded perspective on conflict. If I had to narrow

This elasticity in your approach to choosing which conflict style is best for the current situation is a key to managing conflict. No one style of conflict resolution will work all the time when addressing issues. You must remain flexible to other people’s wants, needs, direction, criticism, schedules, moods, temperament, and a myriad of other things in life. If there is one thing in life that will never change it is the fact that everything is going to change! There is nothing you can do to stop it, so the quicker you learn how to adapt to the changes the better off you will be. The ability to change your approach to dealing with conflict better prepares you to face the interpersonal challenges that will eventually come your way. I believe it is important to also remember that you cannot win every battle with every person you encounter. Knowing that you cannot fix or solve every problem with everyone is very helpful in reducing stress and managing difficult situations with others. My father dislikes when I use this cliché but sometimes, it is what it