End-of-Term Conflict Analysis

End-of-Term Conflict Analysis
Overview
The purpose of this 5-page double-spaced paper is to analyze a specific conflict you have had or continue to have with a specific person(s). Your relationship with this person(s) may be ongoing or in the past. You must incorporate course concepts and terminology from the text in your analysis and self-reflection.
Instructions
This assignment template includes questions for you to consider as you write each section of the analysis. Write your analysis in paragraph form/essay, not as short answers to each question. The purpose of the questions for you to consider is to guide your thinking, analysis, and writing. Be sure to include the “section headings” in your paper: Background, Nature of the Conflict, Goals and Power, Conflict Styles, and Resolutions and Reflections.
I. Background
Write a brief (1-page) “background” about the parties involved in this conflict. Who are the parties in your conflict? Please give a brief description of your relationship with the other party or parties. Consider the following questions in your analysis: Where and how did you meet? How long have you known each other? What is the current nature of your relationship? Do you live or did you live together? How long? Do you work or did you work together? How would you describe your overall relationship? How would you describe your relationship now, compared to when you first met?
II. Nature of the Conflict
Write a brief analysis (2 pages) of your conflict using the five elements. This section focuses on the actual conflict or nature of the conflict. Be sure to address each “element” in your analysis and be sure to incorporate ideas, concepts, and theory from the chapter(s) to support your thoughts, answers, and/or rationales.
1. Expressed struggle: What is the conflict about? What was the trigger event? How was the conflict expressed? When did the conflict start? What caused it? Was it a series of events or one event? When did the conflict originate? Why did it occur?
2. Interdependent parties: What binds the parties together? In what ways each party needs the other?
3. Perceived incompatible goals: What are the parties not getting?
4. Perceived scarce resources: What are the perceived scarce resources? (e.g., time, money, affection, inclusion, etc.)
5. Perceived interference to achieve goals: In what ways each party is interfering with
6. the other’s goals

III. Goals and Power
Write a brief analysis (1 page) using TRIP Model. This section focuses on the goals and power that were present in your conflict. For example: what are the topics (T) of this conflict? what are the relational (R) issues in this conflict? what are some of the identity (I) issues that you can identify in this conflict? and what are some of the possible process (P) issues involved in this conflict? Other questions to consider in your analysis: How much power do you feel you had? How much power does the other person have? Do you think the other person has more power than you? Why or why not? How do you think your power affects the conflict? How do you think the other person’s power affects the relationship? Has this conflict considerably altered your daily life with the other? If so, how?
IV. Conflict Styles
Write a brief analysis (1 page) about your conflict style during your conflict. This section focuses on your conflict style during the conflict. Consider the following questions in your analysis: What individual conflict styles did you and the parties use? Did your style vary with the situation? Why? How? What tactics does the other person use? What did you or the other person do to keep the conflict going? What nonverbal behavior(s) did you notice in the other during a conflict? If you did notice a behavior change, did that influence your conflict style?
a) Avoidance—minimize open discussion of the conflict
b) Domination—one person wins, and the other person loses
c) Compromise—you and the other person give something up to reach an agreement
d) Integration—working together to find solutions that benefit both parties
e) Obliging—avoid asserting one’s own needs and prefer to cooperate
V. Resolutions and Reflections
Write a brief analysis (1 page) about your assessment and resolution of this conflict. This section focuses on resolution, reconciliation, and reflection (or the ongoing conflict, if the conflict was not resolved). Consider the following questions in your analysis: How might the situation have been handled better? Have attempted solutions become part of the problem? How? Why or why not? Can you think of any solutions that have not been tried? Would you like to try any of these? What additional resources might you need? What do you think will be the long-term relationship between you and the other person? Do you believe there is something you could do to resolve this? What is it? How would you go about it? Would it make you happy to do this? Do you believe that there is a way you could compromise? Collaborate? What would you perceive to be a win-win situation? In what ways do you attempt to control and alleviate this conflict? In what ways does the other attempt to control and alleviate this conflict? Are you satisfied with the current outcome, or do you wish a better solution could be found? Do you think this conflict could have been prevented? If so, how? How might future conflicts be prevented? What communication skills might help you better manage conflict in the future?

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