Deck 7: Analyzing Your Conflicts

Question 1

Although forming coalitions often happens naturally, they can become toxic if the groups begin to engage in destructive conflict.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The text claims that a person should never escalate a conflict.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

When analyzing coalitions in a conflict, the member who is "out" is called:

A) the instigator
B) the investigator
C) the isolate
D) the intermediary
E) the mediator

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following statements is an example of a "systems rule" in conflict?

A) When Dad is angry at the youngest child, the older child intervenes.
B) Mom always talks to the kids on behalf of Dad.
C) No one talks about the conflict until months after it occurs.
D) Dad always initiates the conflicts.
E) All of the above are possible "rules" in a system that is experiencing conflict.

Question 5

Labeling people in systems (workplaces, families, friends) helps each person predict how others will behave.

Question 6

All of the following are effective ways for assessing a conflict except:

A) Observing the parties in conflict
B) Determining which party is at fault
C) Interviewing conflicting parties
D) Identifying patterns
E) Using metaphoric analysis

Question 7

Caitlin ran to her mother to tell on her brother, Sam. Caitlin said that Sam hurt her hand when they passed each other on the stairwell. Understanding conflict, Caitlin's mom decided to sit down with both of the children and ask them what happened, starting from when they saw each other on the stairs. She found out that Caitlin, in fact, hurt her hand when she hit Sam. Sam did nothing in return! Which principle of the system theory is Caitlin's mom recognize?

A) Conflict in systems occurs in chain reactions.
B) Each member gets labeled, or programmed, into a specific role in the system.
C) System members must cooperate in order to keep conflicts going.
D) Systems develop rules for conflict that are followed even if they work poorly.
E) Sam is more honest than Caitlin.

Question 8

"Total marriages" are what the book suggests as the best goal for all marriages.

Question 9

The most important part of assessing a conflict is figuring out who "started" it.

Question 10

According to the Conflict Assessment Guide, the question "What attitudes toward conflict do participants seem to hold?" helps clarify which of the following components?

A) orientation to the conflict
B) nature of the conflict
C) interests
D) styles
E) personal intervention

Question 11

A repetitive loop of observable communication with a redundant outcome is called:

A) a toxic triangle
B) a microevent
C) a coalition
D) a system
E) an isolate

Question 12

A marriage where conflict is frequent and produces very little positive effect is considered a "vital" relationship.

Question 13

"Intimate-aggressive" couples can be satisfactory for the individual parties, but they often engage in aggression that is too mean.

Question 14

All of the following are key concepts to Systems Theory except:

A) wholeness
B) organization
C) individualism
D) collectivism
E) patterning

Question 15

One option for addressing destructive coalitions is to "soften them."

Question 16

If a conflict progresses to Stage IV, as described in the book, the authors suggested that a neutral 3^rd-party become involved to help.

Question 17

According to the Difficult Conversations Guide, which of the following is most important?

A) identifying who is being difficult
B) learning to deal with difficult people
C) utilizing neutral third parties
D) asking yourself "what happened?"
E) isolating triggers

Question 18

The concept of "circular causality" is less concerned with where the conflict started, and more concerned with the sequence of patterns in the conflict.

Question 19

Which of the following terms best describes a marriage where both partners accept a conventional, calm, ordered marriage that maintains little conflict?

A) conflict-habituated relationship
B) devitalized marriage
C) passive-congenial relationship
D) vital relationship
E) total marriage

Question 20

Three bank employees had heard a lot of complaints from customers about how they were treated by other employees of the bank. These three people began to talk regularly about the problems they were hearing about and what they could do to avoid them in the future. Formation of this council is an example of which coalition principle?

A) Coalitions begin for good reasons.
B) Coalitions and counter-coalitions become self-justifying.
C) Coalitions, which began as solutions to problems, become the problem.
D) Drawing coalitions gives you a diagnostic aid.
E) Forming coalitions occurs only in the workplace.

Question 21

Summarize the guidelines put forth in the Difficult Conversations Guide. Use these guidelines to construct three specific suggestions for a conflict you have experienced in the past or are experiencing now.

Question 22

Describe coalitions and their role in system wide conflicts. In your answer, discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of coalition formation.

Question 23

What are system "rules," according to Hocker and Wilmot? Identify and discuss three examples of implicit/explicit rules you follow when engaging in conflict with someone in (a) your personal life or (b) your workplace.

Question 24

List, describe and provide an example of the eight parts of the Conflict Assessment Guide.

Question 25

What does it mean that the "conflict serves the system in some way?" How is this different than or similar to how you have perceived conflict up to this point?

Question 26

Which of the following stages of conflict is characterized by parties engaged in serious power struggles, polarization and lack of information-sharing?

A) Stage I
B) Stage II
C) Stage III
D) Stage IV
E) Stage V

Question 27

A person in a "system" who is in few or no triangles is called the:

A) sole problem
B) isolate
C) system reject
D) problem member
E) none of the above

Question 28

List, describe and provide an example of the principles of Systems Theory.