ITSINTER_ch09_lecppt.pptx

1. CHAPTER 9
Interpersonal Conflict
Copyright © 2022 W. W. Norton & Company

2. Interpersonal conflict
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3. 9.1 The nature of interpersonal conflict
• Interpersonal conflict is a perceived struggle or
tension between two or more relational partners.
• Overt conflict is communicated in a clear,
straightforward manner.
• On the other hand, covert conflict is expressed
indirectly—usually masked by relational partners or
with no open acknowledgment.
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4. What is conflict?
“Two weeks before my wedding, my
fiancé’s mother asked for pictures so
she could put a PowerPoint
presentation together to show during
our rehearsal dinner. I told her I
wasn’t a big fan of the idea. After our
conversation, she went ahead and told
my fiancé to send her the pictures. I
felt like she went behind my back and
didn’t take my feelings into
consideration.” —Dakotah
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5. Conflict escalation
• A conflict spiral occurs when relational
partners address conflict in an increasingly
hostile and mean-spirited manner.
• Past-digging occurs when you bring up a
negative memory you have about your relational
partner.
• Two of the most common and damaging types of
past-digging is beltlining and gunny-sacking.
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6. Conflict rituals
• A conflict ritual is a reoccurring pattern of
communication that sparks and inflames conflict.
• To de-escalate a conflict is to decrease its intensity
and scope.
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7. Common causes of conflict (1)
• Change
• Incompatible values
• Scare resources
• Interdependence
• Memory disputes
• Meta-conflict
• Undesirable behaviors
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8. Common causes of conflict (2)
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9. Common causes of conflict (3)
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10. Approaches to conflict (1)
• Competing is a way of approaching conflict where
you prioritize getting what you want above all else.
• Avoiding vs. skirting
• Sniping occurs when you allude to a conflict but
then back away from it.
• Accommodating
• Collaborating
• Compromising
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11. Approaches to conflict (2)
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12. Approaches to conflict (3)
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13. Approaches to conflict (4)
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14. Misconceptions about conflict
• One misconception is that conflict is always bad
for a relationship—that it is deconstructive.
• If you work through conflict effectively, it is
constructive—Constructive conflict results in
positive relational outcomes.
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15. 9.2 Power in relationships
• Interpersonal power is the ability to influence a
relational partner’s thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors.
• You are abdicratic if you prefer to relinquish
control in most cases.
• If you’re a power seeker, you’re more autocratic.
• In the middle of the two ends of the power
spectrum is the democratic orientation.
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16. Power orientations
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17. Sources of power (1)
• Power currency is a desired resource that confers
interpersonal power on the person who possesses it.
• The principle of least interest suggests that a
relational partner who doesn’t value the
relationship as much or has the least interest in
continuing it holds more power in the relationship.
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18. Sources of power (2)
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19. Sources of power (3)
“My parents rely a lot on me to take care of
my younger siblings. This includes driving
them to school and work. They bought me
a nice car, and I spent a lot of money
detailing it and adding expensive rims.
When I told them I was ready to move out,
they said the car would have to stay with
them so my younger brother could drive
it—even though I paid for all of the repairs
and maintenance for four years! They also
offered to pay more of my tuition if I
stayed home. I feel like they want to
control every part of my life.” —Fernando
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20. Compliance-gaining strategies (1)
• Compliance-gaining strategies are the
communication tactics you use to get others to do
what you want them to do.
• A power play is when you use a compliance-
gaining tactic on someone repeatedly because it
gets you what you want.
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21. Compliance-gaining strategies (2)
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22. Compliance-gaining strategies (3)
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23. 9.3 Managing conflict effectively
• Approach conflict strategically.
• A benefit-of-the-doubt message is a statement
that conveys that you believe a person’s intentions
or behaviors are or were good, understandable, or
innocent.
• I-statements
• Validation
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24. Encourage solution-based IPC (1)
• Solution-based communication focuses on
potential solutions rather than the behaviors that
started the conflict.
• A dual-perspective is the ability to understand
your own and your relational partner’s thoughts,
feelings, and needs.
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25. Encourage solution-based IPC (2)
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26. Encourage solution-based IPC (3)
“I confronted my supervisor after she
mentioned my slow sales numbers in
front of other staff members during a
meeting. She said, ‘I’m sorry. You have
every right to be upset. I made you look
bad when I was trying to motivate the
team by throwing challenges out. I
shouldn’t single anyone out. I will see
that it doesn’t happen again. I really
appreciate that you came to me. Is
there anything else I can do to rectify
this?’ She also appeared genuinely
concerned. I felt much better after
talking to her.” —Danielle
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27. Follow conflict resolution steps (1)
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28. Follow conflict resolution steps (1)
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29. Credits
This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for Chapter 9.
For more resources, please visit It’s Interpersonal, An Introduction
to Relational Communication, at:
http://digital.wwnorton.com/interpersonal
Copyright © 2022 W. W. Norton & Company