Conflict Analysis Write your personal definition of conflict. In my view, conflict is an issue that arises between two people, often through some form of disagreement. Conflict can arise between many different types of individuals, and each conflict is unique based on both the relationship of those involved in the conflict …show more content…
Being assertive in conflict situations is certainly not my strong suit. I could definitely work on being more assertive in such situations. There are several situations in which I find it most difficult to be assertive. The first situation is if I do not know the person who I am in the conflict with very well. I will have far more trouble being assertive, for example, with a new acquaintance or a stranger. I believe this is mainly because if I am attempting to build a new relationship with them, I do not want to “drive them away” with a conflict before we even know one another. Another situation in which I find it difficult to be assertive is if the person I am in conflict with is my superior. If they are older than me or are in charge of me in any way, then I find it very difficult to be assertive. If my professor were to tell me that I did a terrible job on my exam, it is not likely that, if I were to attempt to argue against that claim, that I would take an assertive …show more content…
Being aggressive in conflict situations is a very difficult task for me. Often I believe that aggressiveness is not the right course of action in an argument. However, there are times and situations in which aggressiveness is the only acceptable reaction. Where non-assertiveness or even simple assertiveness fail, taking an aggressive stance in a conflict is the only option. One situation, in my opinion, where it is best to react aggressively is if the opposing person in the conflict is attacking a very personal belief of mine. If someone comes against my faith, my family, or my friends, I find that I can react aggressively in order to protect what is most dear to me. I can also react aggressively if I believe that someone else or myself may be hurt or seriously affected by the outcome of the conflict. For example, during my time as a camp counselor one of the only times that I would ever get a hint of anger in my voice was if the camper was doing something that could get themselves seriously hurt. Keeping the children out of danger was far more important to me than hurting their feelings.
Finally, I find it easiest to act aggressively if the relationship between me and the other person in the conflict could be broken or significantly damaged if I were to not win the conflict. For example, if my sister were to tell me that she was going to never speak to me again, I would engage aggressively in an argument against