Define conflict and explain how communication behaviors and individual differences contribute to interpersonal conflict.

Capella University Interpersonal Conflict Communications Questions Discussion

Question Description
Overview
Write a 2–3 page article on interpersonal conflict. Define conflict and explain how communication behaviors and individual differences contribute to interpersonal conflict. Recommend a strategy for resolving interpersonal conflict.
Conflict is part of our daily lives. Preparing yourself with the needed skills to handle conflict enhances your interpersonal skills and relationships. To understand conflict, you must begin by knowing what it is and how it affects your life.

Context
What is conflict? Why does it occur? What can be done to prevent it, and—perhaps more importantly—what can we learn from conflict? How can we transform conflict situations from negative to positive?
Conflict arises due to varied perspectives, belief systems, and values. It is natural and common to disagree and to experience conflict. However, there are important differences between constructive and destructive conflict. One tool for examining destructive conflict is what Hocker and Wilmot (2018) describe as “the four horsemen” of destructive conflict—criticizing, defensiveness, stonewalling, and contempt (p. 22).Communication behaviors also play a critical role in conflict. Krauss and Morsella describe four paradigms of communication (as cited in Coleman, Deutsch, & Marcus, 2014). These paradigms are encoding/decoding, intentionalist, perspective-talking, and dialogic.
References
Coleman, P., Deutsch, M., & Marcus, C. (Eds.). (2014). The handbook of conflict resolution: Theory and practice (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.Hocker, J. L., & Wilmot, W. W. (2018). Interpersonal conflict (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Questions to Consider
To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community.
What types of interpersonal conflict have you experienced?
When is interpersonal conflict constructive? What elements do you think need to be present for this to happen?

Resources
SUGGESTED RESOURCES
The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.
Library Resources
The following e-books or articles from the University Library are linked directly in this course:
Coleman, P., Deutsch, M., & Marcus, C. (Eds.). (2014). The handbook of conflict resolution: Theory and practice (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Chapters 7, 10, 12, 17, and 33.
Collisson, B. (2014). Failing to see eye to eye: The role of the self in conflict misperception. North American Journal of Psychology, 16(2), 193–200.
Yarnell, L. M., & Neff, K. D. (2013) Self-compassion, interpersonal conflict resolutions, and well-being. Self & Identity, 12(2), 146–159.
Additional Resources
Hocker, J. L., & Wilmot, W. W. (2018). Interpersonal conflict (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
Chapters 1, 6, and 8.
Assessment Instructions
Suppose you have been asked to write an article on interpersonal conflict for a local organization with which you are affiliated. You may choose any type of interpersonal conflict, such as between spouses, among family members, between members of a social group, or other, but your focus must be interpersonal conflict.
PREPARATION
Search the Capella library and the Internet for scholarly, professional, or other appropriate resources that address the topic of interpersonal conflict. Keep in mind that Wikipedia is not considered an appropriate resource. You will need at least 2 resources to support your work in this assessment.
REQUIREMENTS
Complete the following:
Define the term conflict. Do not simply copy a definition from a source!
What does conflict mean to you?
How does that compare with how others define conflict?
Describe communication behaviors that can lead to conflict.
Explain how the communication behaviors affect interpersonal relationships. Be sure to consider communication behaviors in a variety of situations.
Explain how differences in gender, age, culture, race, and so on can contribute to interpersonal conflict.
Recommend at least one strategy that can be used to resolve interpersonal conflict.
Because this is an article for publication, format your assessment following APA guidelines.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Submit 2–3 typed, double-spaced pages, not including title and reference pages.
Use 12-point, Times New Roman font.
Include a title page and reference page.
Cite at least 2 current scholarly or professional resources
Interpersonal Conflict Scoring Guide
CRITERIA
DISTINGUISHED
Define conflict.

Defines conflict from a personal viewpoint and considers how that viewpoint may differ from other viewpoints.

Describe communication behaviors that can lead to conflict.

Describes a variety of communication behaviors, including forms of verbal and nonverbal communication that can lead to conflict.

Explain how communication behaviors affect interpersonal relationships.

Explains how communication behaviors (including forms of verbal and nonverbal communication) affect interpersonal relationships and shows a clear connection between the behaviors and conflict.

Explain how individual differences contribute to interpersonal conflict.

Explains how and why individual differences contribute to interpersonal conflict.

Recommend a strategy to resolve interpersonal conflict.

Recommends a strategy to resolve interpersonal conflict and predicts the likely outcome.

Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate APA format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.

Writing is coherent, using evidence to support a central idea in a consistently appropriate APA format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.