CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND DIVORCE.   Term Paper ID:30694 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Discusses the role of communication.... More...

12 Pages / 2700 Words 19 sources, 38 Citations, APA Format $48.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Discusses the role of communication. How the use of interpersonal communication skills can be used to deal with conflict involved in divorce. The social process of interpersonal communication. The role trust plays. Behavioral system balance. Conflict avoidance. The sociology and psychology of emotions. Various therapeutic theories and approaches. Need for open communication. Paper Introduction: ROLE OF COMMUNICATION IN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT RELATED TO DIVORCE Introduction This research reviews and analyzes the role of communication in conflict management strategies applied in couples situations involving divorce. The presentation of the findings of the review discuss (1) interpersonal communication, (2) behavioral system balance, (3) conflict avoidance, and (4) communication in couples situations involving divorce or the potential of divorce. Interpersonal Communication Dealing effectively with situations involving interpersonal conflict requires the development and use of interpersonal communication skills. Interpersonal communication is defined as the process linking discontinuous living entities with one Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Communication is made possible by thecombined effects of perception, evaluation, and expression (Sptizack,1998). M. D., & Pratkanis, A. Donohue, W. C., Keltner, D., Londahl, E. Albany, New York: State University ofNew York Press, pp. According to theinteractionist model, other social factors help to shape feeling as feelingis being experienced by a person. Thetherapeutic approach acknowledges the interactions of thoughts, feelings,and actions, and combines a variety of cognitive, emotive, and behavioraltechniques in therapy. A major objective of rational-emotive behavior therapy is to "findsolutions to conscious, definable, here-and-now problems" (Kaplan & Sadock,1999, p. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 19(3),211-225. Environmental determinants are the peopleand the social systems with which an individual is associated, whilepsychological determinants are the ways in which an individual'sexperiences affects her or his knowledge, skills, and methods of adaptation(Fowers, 2 1). S., Baucom, D. R. Child Development, 72(4), 1179-1197. In Kemper, T. From girls into women: Scripts forsexuality and romance in Seventeen magazine, 1974-1994. Feeling,according to the social constructionist model of emotions, is entirelyconstituted by social influences (Williams, 1998). Abstractand concrete self-evaluative goals. Client-centered therapy also is a form of cognitive approach totherapy that is characterized by "gentle questioning and unconditionalacceptance" (Kaplan & Sadock, 1999, p. One important type of ritual within this conception isthe power ritual. It is a milderform of emotion. Within this context, people are divided according to howmuch they give orders or take orders. Gonzaga, G. Society holdstogether as well as it does ... Collins (1985) held that human "cognitive capacity has its strictlimits and we can only hold things together because we shy away fromquestioning our conventional understandings very far. N. (1985). Abusive behavior undermines security (Allen, Baucom,Burnett, Epstein, & Rankin-Esquer, 2 1). (2 1, March). The basis of this approach is a contention that the natural powerof an organism to heal itself should be freed of the artificial constraintsof psychiatry and the psychotherapeutic process. Client-centered therapyis one of the humanistic-experiential therapies. (1998, May). Abnormal psychology and modernlife. Williams, S. Wahlberg, K-E., Wynne, L. By opting for conflict avoidance behavior, such individualssubject themselves to the potential for the undesirable outcomes describedabove. (2 1, August). Themajor difference between these models is the significance accorded in themto social influence. Baltimore, Maryland: William & WilkinsCompany. Ellis (1997) held that a well-functioning person behavesrationally and consistent with empirical reality. S., & Scheier, M. Oxford, England:Oxford University Press. L. (1999). The bargaining and negotiationprocess is the framework within which individuals settle what they shallgive and take, perform or receive in a transaction between them. Rational-emotivebehavior therapy presumes that thoughts are a primal cause of behavior,especially emotional behavior. Conflict Avoidance Interpersonal conflicts are a part of everyday life for most humans.The ability and willingness to effectively deal with interpersonal conflictsituations affects individual perceptions of oneself, the ability to attainone's goals in life, personal health - both psychological and physical,one's own happiness, and the happiness of other persons about whom onecares. Fowers, B. This situation frequently applies to relationships in familyenvironments characterized by looming divorce (Gonzaga, Keltner, Londahl, &Smith. (1992). Spitzack, C. (1997, March). C., Keskitalo, P., Nieminen, P., Moring, J.,Laksy, K., Sorri, A., Koistinen, P., Tarvainen, T., Miettunen, J., &Tienari, P. As is true with respect to power equality situations,however, the presence in an interpersonal conflict situation of oneindividual with dominant personality characteristics and another individualwith submissive personality characteristics tends to offset the effects ofa small amount of total power in favor of the individual with dominantpersonality characteristics, with the exception of situations where a thirdparty intervenes in the conflict situation. Love and the commitment problem in romantic relations andfriendship. Researchagendas in the sociology of emotions. a., & Kolt, R. Individuals with high internal security levels distortcommunications less than do individuals with low internal security levels.Security is a primary need which must be fulfilled before effectiveinterpersonal communications may be established. Rational-emotive behavior therapy attempts to change a client'sbasic maladaptive thought processes, on which maladaptive emotionalresponses and thus behavior are presumed to depend (Rucker & Pratkanis,2 1). 117). Collins (1985) considered emotions to be the product of interactionsbetween rituals. D. The limits of a technical concept of agood marriage: Exploring the role of virtue in communication skills.Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 27(3), 327-334. Equal power among bargainers tends to produce more effectivebargaining than does unequal power. Individuals who resort to conflict avoidance behavior, as opposedto dealing with the issues leading to interpersonal conflict situation,display an unwillingness to deal effectively with interpersonal conflict,regardless of whether they have the ability to deal effectively with suchsituation. (1996). Guilt, shame, and familysocialization. Those who give orders are in chargeof the rituals. (8th ed.). (2 1). 1866). Three predominant models of emotion are present in the literature -the organismic, the interactional, and the social constructionist. Conclusion Effective and open communication is the key to productive behavior ininterpersonal relations. Cook, W. Perspectives on personality.Toronto: Allyn and Bacon, Publishers. Thus, rational-emotive behavior therapyattempts to "restructure an individual's belief system and self-evaluation,especially with respect to the irrational "shoulds," "oughts," and "musts"that are preventing a more positive sense of self-worth and a creative,emotionally satisfying, and fulfilling life" (Carson & Butcher, 1998, pp.647-648). This approach is held to cause clients to respond"with a deep feeling of personal involvement" that results in the"production of new and important material" (Kaplan & Sadock, 1999, p.1866). Communication Theory, 8(2), 14-35. Thebargaining and negotiation process is affected by the presence and use ofpower within the situational environment (Rucker & Pratkanis, 2 1). Research indicates that conflict avoidance behavior is often employedby passive individuals in adapting to a close relationship with a dominantindividual. Thedeterioration of the quality of parent-child communications in familyenvironments characterized by divorce is associated primarily with thelatter two sets of determinants. (1 th ed.). Communication assumes a vital role in conflict management related todivorce when the applied strategies are approaches to couples therapyinvolving rational emotive therapy and client-centered therapy (Donohue &Kolt, 1992). Postmodern ethics for active-directivecounseling and psychotherapy. because we assume things are normal untilthey break down so badly we cannot avoid making some kind of repair" (p.223). (1997, July). Comprehensive textbook ofpsychiatry/VIII. (2 1, July). The concept of the sociology of emotions melds theory frompsychology with that of sociology. 12 ). Typically, the person with the lesseramount of power in an interpersonal conflict situation will resort toconflict avoidance behavior. Thus, the interactionist model recognizes more points ofsocial entry than are recognized by the organismic model. The smaller the total amount of power present in the system, the moreeffective will be the bargaining and negotiation function in interpersonalinteractions. Managing interpersonal conflict.Newbury Park, California: SAGE Publications. 1867). L., Cozzarelli, C., & Richards, C.(1997, June). Rational-emotive behavior therapy concentrates on the tendency of individuals toconstruct and create their own emotional difficulties (Ellis, 1997).Rational-emotive behavior therapy targets primarily one's feelings. Interpersonal influence in family systems: Asocial relations model analysis. As emotions are conceived in theinteractionist model, social forces provide shape to biological sensations,thereby creating "a strip of experience with a name, a history, a meaning,and a consequence of a certain sort" (Hochschild, 199 , p. Hochschild (199 ) defined emotion as "an awareness of four elementsthat we usually experience at the same time: (a) appraisals of a situation,(b) changes in bodily sensations, (c) the free or inhibited display ofexpressive gestures, and (d) a cultural label applied to specificconstellations of the first three elements" (pp. 1847). Long-term stability of communication deviance.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 11 3), 443-462. L., Salovey, P., & Liberman, N. When one of the individuals involvedin an interpersonal conflict situation has a dominant personality while theother has a submissive personality power balance may be partially offset infavor of the individual with the dominant personality. Thus, if "B" distrusts "A," "B" will become evasive, attempt toput herself or himself in a more favorable light, or will expressexaggerated disagreement with "A." As a consequence, "B" may attempt to bequite accurate in communication with "A"; however, the potential or suchaccurate communication is reduced because of the low level of trustexisting between the two parties (Abell & Gecas, 1997). Communication and Divorce Emotion is implicated in a powerful way in conflict between marriagepartners. Personality& social Psychology Bulletin, 27(11), 1494-1521. A., & Smith, M. Allen, E. (1998). role of Communication in conflict management related to divorce Introduction This research reviews and analyzes the role of communication inconflict management strategies applied in couples situations involvingdivorce. Freitas, A. The "overarching presupposition of client-centeredpsychotherapy is that a basic forward-moving force exists within, atendency to grow, actualize, and integrate" (Kaplan & Sadock, 1999, p.1866). Major, B., Zubek, J. The social constructionist model of emotions posits that biologicalsensations have no causative role in the creation of emotions. Modernity and the emotions:Corporeal reflections on the (ir)rational. When power among bargainers is unequal, the individual with thegreater power tends to behave exploitatively, while the less powerfulperson tends to behave submissively. Ideology and emotion management: Aperspective and path for future research. The production of masculinity ininterpersonal communication. J. (2 1, July). The sociology of emotions "supplements anddeepens theories about how people think or act" (Hochschild, 199 , p. 117-142. Carver, C. Projection as aninterpersonal influence tactic: The effects of the pot calling the kettleblack. The social constructionist models accords thegreatest level of importance to social influence, followed in order by theinteractionist model and the organismic (Williams, 1998). The presentation of the findings of the review discuss (1)interpersonal communication, (2) behavioral system balance, (3) conflictavoidance, and (4) communication in couples situations involving divorce orthe potential of divorce. (2 1, October). Research indicates that society often scripts women for passive rolesand men for dominant roles in interpersonal conflict situations. Three sociological traditions. I., & Sadock, B. M., Cooper, M. Hochschild, A. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Pleasant matters are more likely to be the subject of communicationswhere interpersonal trust is not strong than are unpleasant matters, andachievements are more likely to be the subject of communications in such anenvironment than are problems and difficulties. The social process of interpersonal communication involves three setsof determinants - sensory, environmental, and psychological. A feeling, incontrast to an emotion, is less marked by bodily sensation. Such perceptions about theother party in an interpersonal conflict situation strongly influences thedecision of the party making such a perception to either confront or avoidthe conflict. (199 ). J. Humanistic psychology,according to de-emphasizes experimental or scientific approaches to humanpersonality and behavior, positing that personality and behavior can not befully explained in only scientific terms. Interpersonal Communication Dealing effectively with situations involving interpersonal conflictrequires the development and use of interpersonal communication skills.Interpersonal communication is defined as the process linking discontinuousliving entities with one another. The accuracy ofcommunications is a function of trust (Major, Zubek, Cooper, Cozzarelli, &Richards, 1997). At the opposite end of the continuum, the people who onlytake orders alienated from the goals of the people doing the ordering.Lacking control of ritual, they withdraw from the positive aspects of arelationship. The organismic model and the social constructionist model, therefore,are the polar opposites on the continuum of the theory of emotions. E. 2. Mixed messages: Implications of social conflict and socialsupport within close relationships for adjustment to s stressful lifeevent. (1998, May). The organismic model posits that social influences enter in only toelicit feeling, and to regulate expression. This dictum is especially valid in divorcesituations. Conflict may be the result of real inequities among parties, orconflict may stem from perceived inequities (Rucker & Pratkanis, 2 1). (1998, November). Journal of SexResearch, 35(2), 158-168. The interactionist modelbuilds on the base of the organismic model to posit that social factorsenter not simply before and after but interactively during the experienceof emotion. Perceptions of power help shape the emotions of the peoplein relationships such as marriages. Dealing effectively with situations involving interpersonalconflict requires the development and use of interpersonal communicationskills (Freitas, Salovey, & Liberman, 2 1). (2 1,August). C., & Butcher, J. A person is an individual behavioral system. R. Vol. For individuals, theexternal environment includes all forces (object, events, and situations)that are capable of impinging on the individual. The internal environmentinvolves the psychological and physical characteristics of the individualthat permit and facilitate reaction and adjustment to external forces(Cook, 2 1). D. Ellis, A. Journal of Personality and SocialPsychology, 8 (3), 41 -444. Collins, R. A major objective of client-centered therapy is to "listen,understand, and reflect" on that which the client is feeling" (Kaplan &Sadock, 1999, p. One of the primary requirements for the development of effectiveinterpersonal communications is the establishment of interpersonal trust.Information received from a person not trusted is often distorted by therecipient. When family members, coworkers, friends, strangers, ethnic and racialgroups, and even nations perceive that they are being denied something thatthey think that they should have (regardless of their justification forsuch a perception), the typical response is to identify the partyresponsible for such denial. Emotion functions as a sense; thus, emotion is a part ofour sentient nature. K., Epstein, N., & Rankin-Esquer, L. 117). Journal of Family Issues, 18(2), 99-123. 426). Individuals withhigh internal security levels distort communications less than doindividuals with low internal security levels. Client-centered therapy assumes that all persons "have the capacity tounderstand what factors cause them unhappiness" and that all personsPossess the capacity to "overcome those factors" (Kaplan & Sadock, 1999, p.1867). Abusive behavior destroys trust between parties. When such identification is established, theessence of a conflict situation - the issue and the parties - has beendefined. Theinteractionist model occupies a middle ground on this continuum withrecognition of both biological and social factors as causes of emotions,and an assumption that the biological and social factors interact with oneanother (Williams, 1998). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 8 (8), 247-264. Rucker, D. A. Carpenter, L. References Abell, E., & Gecas, V. H., Burnett, C. (2 1, November). The aim of client-centered therapy, therefore, is "to create aninterpersonal environment in which the self-structure can relax andmaterial can come into consciousness' (Kaplan & Sadock, 1999, p. Decision-making power, autonomy, andcommunication in remarried spouses compared with first-married spouses.Family Relations, 5 (4), 326-336. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(6), 1349-1363. Researchalso indicates that, even when individuals involved in interpersonalconflict situations are not controlled by societal scripting, one party inthe conflict situation often assumes that such societal scripting ispresent in the other party (Carpenter, 1998). 1847). Sociology of emotions is "a name for abody of work that articulates the links between cultural ideas, structuralarrangement, and several things about feelings: the way we wish we felt,the way we try to feel, the way we feel, the way we show what we feel, andthe way we pay attention to, label, and make sense of what we feel"(Hochschild, 199 , p. Behavioral System Balance Behavioral system balance is a manifestation of successful adjustmentsand adaptations, even though observed behavior may not appear to beconsistent with accepted cultural or biologic norms for healthy behavior.Living systems can and do operate at varying levels of effectiveness andefficiency, but, to be able to operate at all, some minimum level ofbalance, both internally and externally, must be maintained. (Ed.). These analogies most certainly are relevant to marriagerelationships. Kaplan, H. By contrast, rational-emotive behavior therapy is a highly active and directive form of therapy(Ellis, 1997). Communication in interpersonal situations involves the socialpsychology of bargaining and negotiation. Rational-emotive behavior therapy is a form of cognitivetherapy. Sociology, 32(4), 747-767. Carson, R. Security is a primary needwhich must be fulfilled before effective interpersonal communications maybe established. A behavioralsystem possess sufficient flexibility to react effectively to usualvariations in the forces acting upon it, and it possess sufficient stresstolerance to permit effective adjustment to many extreme variations inthese forces (Wahlberg, Wynne, Keskitalo, Nieminen, Moring, Laksy, Sorri,Koistinen, Tarvainen, Miettunen, & Tienari (2 1, August). Conflict avoidance behavior is often employed by passiveindividuals in adapting to a close relationship with a dominant individual. Client-centered therapy posits that the client "has responsibility forhis or her own improvement" (Carver & Scheier, 1996, p. J. Within the context of the uncertainty thatcharacterizes a person's perception of her or his standing in arelationship, "one important clue is how we feel" (Hochschild, 199 , p.119). 118-119). If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

Many of our Papers can be Downloaded From This Site!

PLEASE READ THIS, IT IS IMPORTANT!

Office hours are Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm (PST). You may place orders for custom research over the phone during office hours. E-mail requests can be made to our graduate and undergraduate department any time, and will be reviewed during office hours. You may also contact customer service any time through e-mail, and we will review your message during business hours. A great many papers can be downloaded right from this site, but not all of them. If you would like to know if a particular paper is downloadable, just look in the description for: "Available for Internet Download: Y" or "Available for Internet Download: N" If you wish to purchase a paper which is NOT available for immediate download, you will need to make other shipping arrangements. Also, please be aware that these orders are processed Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm (PST). If you place your order after 4:45pm on Friday, it will not be processed until the following Monday morning. We charge $8 per page for all of our pre-written reports, plus shipping (and tax for California residents). However, the highest cost of any ONE report is $136, or 17 pages. Please, take a moment. Make sure you have chosen the report you want or need BEFORE you complete your order. If you are not sure, allow us to help you. We do not offer refunds or exchanges, so it is important for you to let us answer your questions during office hours. Reports which are e-mailed or downloaded are in Microsoft Word format. We are making more reports available for e-mail delivery faster than we can update our listings. Please call to check on the status of particular reports. There are many other shipping options which are listed on the Checkout page.