COMMUNICATION 1103 ASSIGNMENT 3
PART 3 – RELATIONSHIP CLIMATE AND CONFLICT

Select and complete TWO (2) of the four (4) provided activities (your choice). Read the instructions for each activity carefully and be sure to reflect and discuss your responses thoroughly. The amount of depth, effort, disclosure and application of the vocabulary will be used to grade the activities. Please delete the activities you did not complete then submit your assignment. The upload box is at the bottom of this assignment page. The only acceptable formats for assignments are: “.doc” “.docx” and “.rtf” Do NOT submit your assignments in any other format or they will not be graded.

ACTIVITY #1: YOUR CONFLICT STYLE

Instructions:
1. Think back over the past few weeks and recall THREE recent conflicts. The more current they are, the better, and they should be ones that occurred with people important to you – people with whom your relationship matters.
2. For each conflict, fill in the chart below. Use as much of the relevant terms outlined in the chapter as you can to demonstrate your understanding.
3. Based on what you’ve written, answer the following questions:
a. Are you happy with the way you’ve handled your conflicts? Do you come away from them feeling better or worse than before?
b. Have your conflicts made your relationships stronger or weaker?
c. Do you recognize any patterns in your conflict style? For example, do you hold your angry feelings inside? Are you sarcastic? Do you lose your temper easily?
d. Are you able to effectively manage your emotions during conflict? Why or why not?
e. If you could, would you like to change the way you deal with your conflicts? How can you achieve this?

THE CONFLICT: Describe whom it was with, what it was about, etc. HOW I MANAGED IT: Describe what you said, how you acted, etc. What conflict style(s) was demonstrated? Assertive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, or deference. Discuss how your emotions impacted each conflict. THE RESULT: Was the result win-win? Win-lose? Lose-lose? Or compromise? Describe how you and the other individual felt afterwards. Are you happy with the results?
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2.
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RESPONSES:
a. Are you happy with the way you’ve handled your conflicts? Do you come away from them feeling better or worse than before?
b. Have your conflicts made your relationships stronger or weaker?
c. Do you recognize any patterns in your conflict style? For example, do you hold your angry feelings inside? Are you sarcastic? Do you lose your temper easily?
d. Are you able to effectively manage your emotions during conflict?
e. If you could, would you like to change the way you deal with your conflicts?
ACTIVITY #2: YOUR CONFLICT RITUALS

Instructions: Describe TWO conflict rituals in ONE of your important relationships. One of your examples should consist of a positive ritual and the other of one that generates unsatisfying/negative results. For EACH example, explain:

CONFLICT RITUAL 1 (POSITIVE):
a. A subject that is likely to trigger the conflict (e.g. money, affection, leisure time):
b. The behaviour of one partner that initiates the ritual:
c. The series of responses by both partners that follow the initiating event:
d. How the ritual ends:
e. How satisfied you are with the results:

CONFLICT RITUAL 2 (NEGATIVE):
a. A subject that is likely to trigger the conflict (e.g. money, affection, leisure time):
b. The behaviour of one partner that initiates the ritual:
c. The series of responses by both partners that follow the initiating event:
d. How the ritual ends:
e. How satisfied you are with the results:

RESPONSES:
a. Based on your description, explain an alternative to the unsatisfying ritual and describe how you might be able to change the way you manage the conflict in a more satisfying way.
b. Speak to the person about this activity. How does s/he feel about the two types of conflict you discussed?
c. Does s/he accept responsibility for their actions and responses during the conflict?
d. What are his/her own defined conflict rituals?
e. Tell us about your conversation. Was it difficult to initiate?
f. Do you feel that your style of dealing with conflict will be affected as a result of this exercise? In what ways?
ACTIVITY #3: SELF-DISCLOSURE

Instructions: Thoroughly answer the following TEN questions based on your knowledge and experiences with self-disclosure. Take time to reflect on your experiences and be descriptive with your responses. Include terminology and theory from the text to support your responses and demonstrate knowledge of the concept.

1. In your own words, define self-disclosure.
2. Whom do you self-disclose to regularly? Describe why you disclose to these individuals.
3. Explain the reasons why you self-disclose to others.
4. Explain the reasons why don’t you self-disclose to others.
5. Describe and experience when you have mis-judged whether or not to self-disclose to someone. How did this impact your relationship?
6. Describe the benefits and risks associated with your self-disclosure.
7. How long do you think about what you want to self-disclose to others?
8. Has self-disclosure of any type or degree ever altered a one of your close relationships? Describe.
9. Discuss how the Internet affects your involvement with self-disclosure.
10. Has a stranger ever self-disclosed personal information to you? When and where did this happen? How did you feel? Why would someone do this?