Relationship Conflict - Essay Example

Relationship Conflict We can generally refer to conflict as a form of disagreement between interacting individuals where the concerned parties foresee a threat to their needs, concerns, or interests in real time. The interactions could vary from family relations, work relations, friendly relations, political relations, formal or informal relations and intimate relations. It is arguably true that the nature of relations closely relates to the form and magnitude of conflict. Indeed, even the ability to solve a conflict relies on individual personality and the form of the relationship that existed prior to the conflict. Where family conflicts are simple to solve, work conflicts are generally hard to resolve since the results of a conflict in this context would be more detrimental. Our understanding on conflict comes out clearly upon analyzing the various results of conflicts as manifested within relationships. Conflicts in a work place may cause job losses, conflicts in a family setup may lead to disintegration, while conflicts among intimate friends will cause heartbreaks. However, the consequences of conflicts vary from one scenario to another depending on the magnitude of the conflict in real time and prior relationship. However, though it has been hard to classify conflict since there are no universal causes of conflict, there are five forms of conflict styles, which include compromising, avoiding, competing, collaborating, and accommodating style (Office of Human Resource Development Web). An analysis of conflict in a relationship will refer to the systematic study of the causes, actors, and dynamics of the conflict. Actually, in addressing conflict analysis we aim at peace building, reconciliation, development, and humanitarian efforts for purposes of understanding conflict better. In light of this, this paper will analyze an interpersonal relationship conflict. The paper will achieve this by defining the type of relationship, description of conflict, conflict styles involved, and denoting probable solutions to the conflict. I come from a well-up nuclear family of five members with one sister and one brother. While my brother is older than I am with one and a half years, my sister is far much younger than I am. As such, my brother and I are close in many ways. Indeed, we went to the same primary and high school. We equally had many similar likes and interests may be because I chose to take after him in the many things that we have been doing. Both of us loved football and specifically, Spanish Premier football. Our love for football led us to start playing together at home and at school with friends. Then we would watch the international football via television media and where possible we attend the games live. Though my brother is one grade before me, we are always together and our love for football brings us closer. However, though we are both fans of the Spanish la liga, we happen to support different teams with my brother supporting Barcelona while I ardently support Real Madrid. However, though we have managed to solve these disagreements over time, in many occasions we seriously cross lines and conflict on issues relating to this game and especially these two teams. Indeed, when the two teams meet in what is normally called the El Classico, our conflicting levels supersede and the results have never been pleasant. The situation gets worse by the emergence of high-class players (Ronaldo and Messi) and their respective team managers who have never agreed. In one of such events, my brother and I attended the El Classico last year and the situation was terrible. Temperatures were rising by the minute as the game started. It was a crucial game as it was a show of supremacy in Spain. The players were at their best, the managers run all over shouting instructions to the players as the opposing fans screamed their hearts out in support of their teams. Only the referee assumed impartiality. However, the issue of refereeing has been our source of conflicts in these matches. While my brother thought and believed that the referees have always been fair, others and me believed and still believe that FIFA referees accord favoritism to Barcelona against Real Madrid. This day was not different according to me. Two of Real Madrid players were red carded in what the referee called foul play. The manager also got a warning and Barcelona went all the way to win 3-1 in what my brother celebrated as a well-deserved win and a show of soccer supremacy in Spain. I was so frustrated with the referee, the results, and mostly by my brother who would not see the injustice done to Real Madrid by the referee. Efforts of my brother to accommodate and convince me that the game was fair and that Barcelona deserved to win, were met with abuses and demeaning statements. In the run of events, I remember cursing him to foolishness and subsequently slapping him. I could not afford to go home with him, as he would not agree to my views on the game. I was aggressive while he was accommodating in conflict. His conflict style and my conflict style are not easily compatible. My brother has always demonstrated maturity and logic whenever we conflict. Actually, maybe that is what has kept us close because I have always pushed him to join my opinion camp. On this day, my brother tried to convince me that although the referee was somehow biased, our players who played a tactical game against a team that was playing a possessing game incited his unfairness. However, he reminded me that the referee is qualified and his decision is final. Indeed, the abuses that the Real Madrid manager hauled at the referee also deserved a warning. He equally, made me understand that all the four goals are unquestionable and since its goals that count, my team then lost fairly. Though initially, I would hear none of this, stood my position, and sought to make my brother adopt my position, I later had to agree with my brother since he was only factual. I had to apologize for the insults and slap though. Indeed, in a later match analysis, the replays equally proved me wrong. Actually, the accommodating conflict style was successful in ending the conflict at the time overcoming my aggressive conflict style. In fact, if it were not for the patience, understanding, and logic shown to me in course of the conflict, dire results would have resulted from the conflict. Indeed, as we sat for supper that evening I was only glad that the accommodating nature of my brother saved the conflict situation. The conflict was amicably resolved and I realized that sometimes it is good to follow facts than feelings. This is because facts would have derived logic that would have averted the conflict. Moreover, in times of conflict I feel that I should adopt a passive or collaborating conflict style to resolve conflicts since my aggressive nature would only accelerate the conflict and thus lead to more emotional or physical harm. Additionally, practicing control of emotions would really help in bringing sense to ones argument and perception thus curbing most conflicts. Ideally, conflict styles apply selectively and wise choice of a conflict style guarantees peace building, reconciliation, and development. In conclusion, I observe that there are various forms of relationships, which lead to conflicts in course of interactions. Moreover, the magnitude and subsequent effects of conflicts vary from one relationship to another. However, relationship conflict is solvable via the use of relevant conflict styles. Different personalities manifest variant conflict styles some of which are effective in resolving conflicts while others are not. The success of any conflict resolution process depends on the conflict style used and the relationship in real time. Works Cited Office of Human Resource Development. “Conflict styles.” University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2010. Web 31, March 2012 Read More