Week Two: Post Two

2). After reading Chapter 2 in its entirety, answer the following question: In what ways do you take a non-process view of communication, relationships, or conflict?  How can you change your thinking? 

I thought about my response to this question for a while and I couldn’t seem to think of multiple ways that I took a non-process view of communication. I consider myself to be very rational and fair, and it is seldom that I write-off a relationship or conflict entirely. So to answer this question, I wanted to address one single issue which is the relationship that I have with my dad. I was raised in a traditional home and experienced 1950’s style upbringing. I had an older sister, and a younger brother. My dad’s relationship with all of his children was unstable to say the least.

Now that I am an adult, I can see faults within what was our family structure that I was unable to see as a child. The way that many of my family members and myself see my dad now, is that he isn’t capable of changing his behavior. I believe that at a certain point, viewing conflicts in a non-process way becomes a form of self-preservation. I do not always view our relationship in a non-process way, but it is impossible to resolve conflict when one party involved refuses to work to resolve the conflict in question. While I am open to viewing the conflict in this relationship as a process, I realize that until he is able to recognize and truly take ownership of his actions, unfortunately, there is not much that I can do but wait. In the meantime, I have done my best to reconcile this broken relationship for myself, and by myself.