Week Three: Post One

1). After reading Chapter 3 in its entirety, answer the following question:  In dealing with conflicts, do you find that you tend toward one orientation over another?  Are you satisfied with the outcome of conflicts when you act from this orientation?  Do you favor the orientation all the time or are there exceptions?

I would have to say that when I was younger, I favored an aggressive approach to conflict. I was very confrontational and not really interested in people’s opinions about me or the way that I carried myself. I believe that I exhibited this type of behavior as a sort of defense mechanism. Now that I am older and am a mother, my approach to conflict has drastically changed. Now, I would say that I am definitely relationship-centered ninety-nine percent of the time and this works great for me, my daughter, and the rest of our extended family. Despite this, there are times when I am nonassertive and non-confrontational. For example, my daughter recently started to participate in some dance classes with a few other girls. While the children are enjoying their time in the studio, their mothers outside are gossiping, comparing, and competing with one another. I have chosen to remain friendly and neutral to everyone even though I, myself, have been subject to some of their discrimination. While I am choosing to not let the women get the better of me right now, I am very protective of my daughter and will not allow this sort of behavior from other mothers trickle down to my child. We are there to have fun, not to one-up each other.