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Conflict Style Paper

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My Conflict Style Paper

Conflict Management Course

Cody Cooper

6/25/2012

Introduction
Over this past eight weeks we have all learned abundance about the different types of conflict and the various types of resolutions for those said conflicts. We did not just learn about conflict but we also looked into ourselves and our peers to see how exactly conflict intertwines with our own lives and how we deal with it on a daily basis. This paper is being written to show exactly what styles we use towards other people and how that looks to them and how it makes them see us. You will also read about some of my own personal examples of how I have ran into conflict and how I try and use my skills to the best of my ability to change the way it affects others and myself directly. I will include some of the information that was assessed by some peers and also the assessments completed by myself to show what I think of myself and what others see me as. Conflict is a problem for many either it be at school or at work but with the knowledge gained by the class, book, and assessments it makes it easier to find yourself changing to what is right.
Body
Along with this paper I did an assessment on myself and gave two others a peer assessment. When filling it out on myself I knew exactly what kind of person that I was and I scored a 5.36 on the Solution-Orientation part which was higher than the No confrontation and Control styles. When adding up the scores from the two peer assessments, I found that not only did I see myself as Solution-Orientation but both did as well with scores that were 5.54 and 6. That tells me that I see myself the same as my peers do. I do not shy away from conflicts but try and fix them. I am the type of person that doesn’t like to see conflict and can do whatever it takes to try and fix problems that affect people that are close to me at home and at work. I see conflict as the reason of a lot of hatred between people and I have never liked to see disagreements around people. I can though sometimes find myself shying away from conflict when I actually see a point to a side but don’t want to take sides but try and make the parties come to an agreement.
I believe that with my style and type of conflict management I can see changes in people attitudes. I don’t necessarily criticize people in any type of negative way but try to help them better understand the conflict and see the other side of the spectrum. Conflicts are usually a one sided deal when people argue about something but as I am always trying to find that median solution it makes me feel like the better person, mostly because I don’t want someone to be completely wrong in their opinions I just want then to have a understanding on what the other is thinking and going through.
I can see positive sides to my style because I never seem to be the bad guy just try and find that happy median. It can affect people in such ways that they might not have a conflict again. It’s like at work, I have a coworker that seems to not want anything to do because of her seniority. When asked to do something then she will pawn it off and then take the credit later. I am the type of person to not get angry at the situation but try and make it seem that both of us are doing the same equal work on something together so that we both find that satisfaction of getting it done precisely and efficiently. The negative sides to my style which may come more frequently than the positive side is how people may take me for granted and not appreciate my solution. Some conflicts between people can be so harsh that one side my not care what I believe in and think that I am taking the other side of the conflict. I can see plenty of that with my brother. We both want certain things in our lives and with our parents, but both of us seem to have different views. I suppose that I am a little more considerate in things and he can be a little over zealous with things. My parents and I have talked about what would happen to thing when they passed away and I want the best possible outcome so that things get taken care of and split up evenly. He just thinks that he can do whatever he wants and take what he wants which causes a problem. So when I talk about this to my parents about splitting things up evenly so things could get done as easy as possibly, he believes that I am turning them on him. That type of conflict is horrible and I don’t want it to be that way but he is the kind of person that most of the time thinks of him, when in fact I am also looking out for him and that outcome.
Being flexible is a good idea when trying to overcome conflict. I believe that solving conflict peacefully with the best possibly solution that benefits both parties is the better outcome for all. But some days I find myself frustrated with things such as my brothers thought process. With the Putnam scoring being a little close at times to the non-confrontational style and going back and rereading all the things that I have wrote in the journals one through eight I do sometimes just back down and just don’t want to deal with a lost cause. Looking at things once again if something isn’t going the way that I had hoped and no one is getting the idea of just wanting a peaceful solution, I can cower at times and just hide from the conflict. I do find this flexibility to be a good and bad thing, because of the fact that I try to be this nice person that doesn’t try and get into any more conflict that is made, or make it worse.
Growing up I have had two of the best role models, my parents. My parents have taught me almost everything there is to know about everyday life and have given me the tools to prepare myself for adult life. Like me they are both also solution oriented people, and like to see a good result on both ends of the spectrum. But having them teach me and then having my own thoughts it makes it apparent to me that I plainly just don’t want to be in bad terms with anyone. Having friends and family close to you is the most important thing in life, but making them mad by having a horrible conflict management skill just turns people away. It’s just like both of my parents like many have told me, “treat others like you would treat yourself,” and that is exactly what I plan to do.

Conclusion
So in conclusion, I am a very good person at heart and don’t hurt anyone. I already have sort of known this up until I took this course. Doing the self-assessments and journals every week has given me exactly what I have already known but broadened it so much by me expressing my own stories and opinions. All of the information that was in both Wilmot Hocker and Getting to Yes book has shown me much more of my potential since I know now that I am exactly whom I want to be and treat others exactly how they want to be treated, equal.

References
Interpersonal Conflict
William Wilmot and Joyce Hocker Eighth Edition

Getting to Yes
Roger Fisher and William Ury

Reflective Online Journals
Week 1-8

Putnam/Wilson Conflict Behavior Scale
Peer and Self Assessments

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