Final Week - Post 3

This semester was all about putting a puzzle together that was built out of common sense. Most everything that we covered was straightforward and simple - but very powerful once it’s all put together. For instance, we all know that stress can influence how we handle conflict, but breaking it down in to eustress, hyperstress and distress clarifies exactly the different degrees. I’m sure that most people in our class have witnessed a relationship (theirs or someone else’s) dissolve because the way it handled conflict, but looking at constructive and destructive conflict cycles can help us understand precisely how it happened. We were also give simple advice to help us make informed decisions in future conflicts, like using the S-TLC system and how a collaborative approach to problem solving can create the best outcomes. I found the break down of intangible vs tangible issues to be very valuable too because I now have a better sense about how to approach these issues differently Finally, I really benefited from broadening my view of conflict. It is reassuring to recognize how I regularly negotiate conflict on a regular basis, it gave me a sense of what differentiates those instances from the conflicts that had give me a sense of dread. Using the tools from our class, I can initiate conflict in a healthier way and help control the process and the outcomes.  Our class organized all of these things together so that they made sense and will be easy to remember, even in the “heat of the moment”.