Final Post #3

     I learned a lot of relevant information/skills throughout the course of the semester, which I believe I will be able to take with me and implement into my life far after the course. I think one of the most important concepts I learned form this class was the conflict shouldn’t be feared/ignored. The way we are raised we are taught to avoid conflict, as there is a negative connotation associated with conflict. In any relationship there is bound to be some type of conflict that arises at one point or another. This class has shown that through various methods we can address the issue of conflict and formulate a solution that is mutually beneficial to both parties involved. Conflict is a fact of life and many people aren’t equipped with the necessary communication skills to approach the situation in a respectful manor. As long as both parties involved in a conflict are given the opportunity to state their sides an agreement is sure to be made. The conflict often times lies when an individual feels like their voice isn’t being heard or their being mis fairly represented.

Final Post #2

     I would recommend this course to any student that doesn’t mind setting aside a good amount of time to complete the conflict resolution workshop. Considering this is a 4-unit class the workload is inevitably expected to be more intense. Something that I would like to commend the professor on is how she was always readily available to answer questions and clarify assignments. Also, the way her blog was set up it make it very clear what was assigned and when it was due. From a students standpoint nothing is more irritating than a professor who doesn’t respond to e-mails or doesn’t post grades in a timely manor. She did all of this and more, which is why I would definitely recommend this class to another student. It’s not a class that you can be lazy in and skate by, yet it she gave us all the tools as students to do well in her class.

Final Post #1

     All in all I believe this class had way more strengths than weaknesses.  I enjoyed the way the class was set up to where we did posts on the readings that we did every week, as well as responded to our classmates. Though the Conflict Resolution Workshop stressed me out and took up a lot of my I was happy at the end, as I felt a real sense of accomplishment. Also, the discussions as well as the material in the course textbook I found to be very helpful and informative. The thing I liked the least was the amount of time that I had to dedicate to the workshop. Though this isn’t necessarily a weakness of the class it was a lot to handle considering the other classes that I’m taking as well as fitting it in with my busy work schedule. I can honestly say that there was no real evident weaknesses of this class.

Week 10, Post #3

     According to the text, a set of interrelated components act together as a unit it’s called a system. Furthermore, when the system maintains itself in the pursuit of a goal Homeostasis occurs. (224) In the example of marriage both people must be committed in order make the relationship work. From my experience with my parents and the way that I was raised it leads me to believe that when two people work together it allows the unit to function as whole. Obviously, conflict is a normal part of interaction, though we must learn how to deal with the demands form the people that we’re interacting with on a daily basis such as our husband/wife. The idea of homeostasis occurs best in a relationship with a close person and seeing exactly how you react in certain situation in which conflict is involved.  When a holistic perspective is used on the couple the idea of unity among the couple is key, which just further justifies homeostasis.

Week 10, Post #2

     The attribution theory states that, “ people act as they do in conflict situations because of the inferences they make about others based on their behavior.” (216) Often times when false attributions are made about someone a conflict situation is intensified.  By blaming someone you are exhibiting negative conflict behavior, which would most likely lead to intensified conflict. When making an accurate attribution about someone it can greatly reduce false conflicts as discussed in the uncertainty theory. Furthermore, when false conflicts are exhibited it can cause negativity in situations regarding conflict, which is why accuracy is key. Therefore, accurate attributions are made it can actually help you in conflict situations. There was a time when I handled a conflict situation they way I did based on their previous behavior, it turns out the best decisions was made based on the accurate attribution. Whether someone has an internal or external attribution, the accuracy plays a major role in the outcome.

Week 10, Post #1

        The first term I searched was revenge, in which a lot of episodes from a show entitled “revenge” on ABC came up.  I have never heard of the show, yet the fact that they have a show which is centered around revenge leads me to believe that notion  of “ an eye for an eye” (177) is considered to be socially acceptable. When I searched forgiveness I found sites pertaining to psychology and the bible. Based on the sites represented from the internet search forgiveness the process of “ letting go of feelings of revenge and desires to retaliate”( 176) are held in a high regard and is highly encouraged.  When I searched reconciliation  the majority of the sites talked about peace and justice and restoring a mutual respect between individuals. Also, this term had more of a global outlook, as a result it had the greatest variety of sites.

Week 9, Post #3

I found the section on self-fulfilling prophecies to be quite interesting. In this case, “  people act toward us in the way that we expect.” (185) For example, if you begin to act like you don’t trust an individual they may begin to  act in untrustworthy ways. I see this as almost convincing the other person that they are doing something wrong, when really their not. A perfect example is when you’re in a relationship and you partner doesn’t trust you without good reason. In this case one may begin to question if your partner thinks your untrustworthy because of the dirt that their doing behind your back. As a result, one might begin to do things pushing the limits of trust that they might not have done if they were trusted in the first place. Often times if you act like there are issues in the relationship that aren’t there, they might begin to eventually arise.