UNIT 2 PERSPECTIVES ON CONFLICT
How Do We Really “See” in Conflict? What do you “see?”
Dalmatian
Duck/Rabbit
Faces/Vases
Letters/Numbers
Young/Old
How do you perceive conflict?
Metaphors to Describe Negative Conflict Perceptions –War –Explosive –Struggle –Act of nature –Mess
Metaphors to Describe Positive Conflict Perceptions Bargaining table Tide Dance Garden Quilt making
Lens model of Communication Perceptions Each person has a view of conflict--we “see” conflict through our own eyes.
How Do These Perceptions Develop? Where Do They Come From? Family of Origin Culture Gender Experience
Misconceptions of Conflict Misconceptions are usually based in personal history If I engage in conflict, “I’m a bad person.” “All conflict is bad.” “If I engage in conflict, the other will not like me anymore.”
How Do We Change Our Own Negative Perceptions of Conflict to Positive Ones?
If we choose to, we can transform conflict perceptions and communication from destructive to constructive. Believe it or not, conflict can be positive!
Final Thoughts Conflict communication/behavior is not “right or wrong,” “good or bad”—it just is.