Encountering Conflict Essay

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Exercise 2 a) How does conflict affect individuals differently? Conflict affects our daily lives and leaves an emotional imprint on how we view relationships with people. Whether the conflict is global or personal, if it is not addressed in time it normally has a negative impact and ends up in an argument or physical confrontation. There are rare occasions when a conflict has a positive impact and the parties involved walk away with constructive resolution. b) Is conflict something we should always avoid? Engaging in dialogue and negotiation around conflict is something we tend to approach with fear and hesitation, afraid that the conversation will go worse than the conflict has gone thus far. All too often, we talk ourselves out of potential dialogue. But we must fight the fear of possible consequences and face the true reality of the conflict despite the fact it may be extremely difficult to do so. However, we should only avoid conflict that will endanger our lives or threaten us with harm. c) Is a person’s response to conflict always dictated by the cause of the conflict? Not always but it could also be the case. Some people may be able to deal with conflict better than others, but also be shaped or transformed by the conflict that they are exposed to. A person’s decisions could be effected as a result of conflict, perhaps that particular person would have made a very different decision had they not have to deal with the conflict they face. d) Are there cultural factors that might contribute to different responses to conflict? Different cultures deal with conflict differently. In some cultures, confrontation is a necessary part of dispute resolution, whereas in others, resolution is accomplished through third parties. Some cultures use a leader or some other person in power to make the decision, while in still other cultures, rather than

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