Strategies that might
have helped me manage or resolve the conflict with my husband concerning the
sale of our daughter’s car more productively are:
1. If
I would have displayed empathetic emotions as oppose to anger and actively listened to his opinion
in addressing the problem, which was the decision to sell car and the price
when resolving conflict, not him personally.
2. Instead
of becoming offensive because of my misgivings with the sale itself and the
price, I could have put forth more of an effort to offer a solution to reach a
compromise; although we disagreed.
These strategies might
be effective because it would have likely diminished my feelings of
apprehension and there would be a supportive communication climate, which would
allowed us a chance to empathetically explore the issues involved in the
conflict (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012). For example, we would have shared
information and both of us would have been empowered in offering a solution to
arrive at a compatible goal which was the price.
A broader range of
solution to my disagreement is that we could have been more receptive to one
another’s ideas and feelings about the decision to sale the car and what the
price would be. I could have stated my
desires precisely and not so loudly to avoid misunderstanding which was the
reason for the conflict that took a day to resolve because neither of us was
willing to give up our position.
Yes, the principles of
nonviolent communication could have helped such as differentiating feeling from
thinking to be able to identify and express internal feeling in a way that does
not imply judgment, criticism, or blame (The Center for Nonviolent
Communication, n. d.).
Audrey,
ReplyDeleteFrom personal experience I can say there have been situations where decision were made ,and I felt my position on certain issues were not even considered. The effective strategies you gave were good and very appropriate in this situation. It is always a wonderful thing to look back and reflect about how we handled certain situations and hopefully make better choices the next time.
Audrey,
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your experience. I know that I could definitely handle conflicts with my husband in a more productive way. I know that I am not always willing to compromise or that I do not always communicate my needs clearly. This is something I need to work on. Many times I just expect him to know why I am upset without clearly stating why. I realize I need to be more patient and understanding when it comes to conflict resolution. Instead of immediately pointing the blame, I need to realize why I am upset in the first place and clearly communicate that by explaining how my needs are not being met.
Audrey,
ReplyDeleteI have had similar confrontations with my husband. I think sometimes it's easy for that to happen with the people we love. I find it hard to compromise because once I make a decision about something I kind of draw a line in the sand. I find that I'm more willing to compromise in a work situation than with my family. Family is safe to me and I think that I know that no matter what kind of argument we have, in the end, it will be okay. Thanks for sharing your post. I enjoyed it.
I know that my "momma bear" can come out with anything regarding decisions for my children. Parenting together is the most difficult job ever. Your strategies sound effective.
ReplyDeleteWhen we are adamant about something its hard to view things from someone else's eyes or their view point. I like moments like that it allows us to evaluate how we dealt with the situation and know how to better deal with it next time or another situation. I have had disagreements with my boyfriend and it never ends well, however later we carry on like nothing has happened. Its all how we view the disagreement and handle it.
ReplyDeleteHi Audrey,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful example of conflict resolution. The techniques would be very helpful in marriage or any partnership, as well as, in our professional lives. We all must learn to be active listeners and show empathy towards one another. As adults with definite opinions, we sometimes forget to work together to solve problems. We teach our children to do this; however, we sometimes forget to use our own advice.
Thanks for sharing! Cindy