The Nature of Conflict
True or False: Conflict is necessary for relational growth.
True
This type of conflict theory is focused on explaining how conflict behaviors relate to people's internal cognitions.
Intrapersonal Conflict Theories
These types of issues are those which are related to material resources.
Tangible Issues
According to the culture of violence theory, what are the three types of violence?
1. Interpersonal / Direct
2. Structural
3. Cultural
What is power?
The ability to influence or control events.
This type of conflict occurs when parties manage their issues in a way that does harm to their relationship and leaves one or both parties unsatisfied with the outcome.
Destructive conflict
Why do social scientists use theories to study conflict?
Theories help us predict, explain, and describe people's behaviors as they relate to conflict.
What are the four dysfunctional conflict styles / cycles? Briefly describe each.
1. Avoidance
2. Accommodation
3. Competition
4. Passive-Aggression
This type of violence occurs when there are prevailing social norms that desensitize us to violence that occurs at other levels in society.
Cultural violence
True or false: The partner who is more invested in the relationship can exercise more relational power.
False
Partner with less investment has the upperhand because they can leave with fewer consequences.
Name three of the five components of conflict.
1. Un/expressed problematic situation
2. Two interdependent parties
3. Perceived incompatible goals
4. Perceived goal interference
5. Perceived scarce resources
This theory assumes that people act as they do in conflict situations because of the inferences they make about others based on their behavior.
Attribution theory
Perspective-taking, vulnerability, emphasizing commonalities, and accepting responsibility for one's actions are all behaviors associated with this conflict management style.
Collaboration
This rather narrow approach to violence focuses on how individuals' personality and other predispositions leads them to engage in abusive behaviors; sees violence as a relatively fixed characteristic.
Trait-based approaches to violence
This is the psychosocial atmosphere surrounding a conflict that consists of power dynamics, level of trust, and competition vs. cooperation.
Conflict Climate
This stage of the conflict process is when parties behave in ways that de/escalate the conflict.
Differentiation
According to relational dialectics theory, what are the three most common dialectics (contradictions) that people must manage in their relationships?
Autonomy vs. Connection
Openness vs. Privacy
Predictability vs. Sponteneity
What are scripts and how do they relate to conflict management?
Scripts are routinized patterns of behaviors, interactions, and events that we perform with little deviation over time. Since conflict is a cyclical and repeating process, we often develop scripts for handling conflicts.
This type of aggression is used to gain power in a relationship, and is connected to patriarchal violence.
Relational control-motivated aggression
How does power relate to conflict climate?
Power contributes to a harmful climate when it is perceived as threatening.
This type of conflict describes when one or more party perceives there to be a tense or problematic situation but it remains unexpressed.
Latent conflict
The current outcomes of Alex's relationship with his partner, Sam, are less than his comparison level. When Alex considers how happy he would be in another relationship, he perceives that he'd have more favorable outcomes than he currently does with Sam. Which of the following best describes his relationship:
A. Satisfying, stable relationship
B. Unsatisfying, stable relationship
C. Satisfying, unstable relationship
D. Unsatisfying, unstable relationship
D. Unsatisfying, unstable relationship
This phenomenon occurs when one person's behaviors intensify the behaviors of another person, often in competitive conflict management cycles.
Symmetrical schismogenesis
What is the chilling effect?
One person in a relationship withholds grievances from the other due to fear of the other person’s severe reaction.
Name and describe French and Raven's five basis of power.
1. Reward power
2. Coercive power
3. Positional power
4. Expert power
5. Referent power