Deck 12: Managing Conflict

Question 1

Effective communicators realize that although it's impossible to __________conflict, there are ways to __________ it effectively.

A) eliminate; manage
B) manage; eliminate
C) avoid; enhance
D) enhance; avoid

Answer 1

A

Question 2

You resent doing most of the housework, but your spouse assumes you enjoy it because you never complain. Which element of conflict of is absent in this scenario?

A) Interdependence
B) Expressed struggle
C) Inevitability
D) Animosity

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The silent treatment is an example of which characteristic of conflict?

A) Incompatible goals
B) Expressed struggle
C) Interdependence
D) Scarce resources

Answer 3

B

Question 4

You would like to avoid working with a colleague you find difficult but can't because you're in the same research unit. This reflects which characteristic of conflict?

A) An expressed struggle
B) Incompatible goals
C) Inevitability
D) Interdependence

Question 5

When people fail to see mutually satisfying answers to their problems, they have __________.

A) expressed struggle
B) perceived incompatible goals
C) inevitability
D) interdependence

Question 6

"So many friends, so little time" expresses the tension you experience when trying to juggle these various commitments. This reflects which element of conflict?

A) Inevitabilities
B) Expressed struggles
C) Perceived incompatible goals
D) Perceived scarce resources

Question 7

According to research, how many conflicts do we experience with friends?

A) One or two a day
B) One or two a week
C) One or two a month
D) One or two a year

Question 8

__________ seem to be based on the assumption that people who love each other know each other's thoughts without a word being said.

A) Escalatory spirals
B) Conflict rituals
C) Serial arguments
D) Mind-reading expectations

Question 9

What has research about conflict established?

A) Unhappy couples listen carefully.
B) Happy couples use evaluative "you" language.
C) Happy couples are willing to admit their mistakes.
D) Unhappy couples focus on each other's relational messages.

Question 10

Your arguments with your spouse revolve around justifying your own positions rather than solving problems or understanding the other's perspective. Like many unhappy couples, you have little or no __________ for each other.

A) affection
B) empathy
C) respect
D) appreciation

Question 11

In terms of conflict styles, ghosting can be an act of passive aggression or an act of __________.

A) competition
B) avoidance
C) direct aggression
D) accommodation

Question 12

You tell your roommate, "I want to talk about how your friends come over all the time, make a lot of noise, eat our food, and leave a mess." He responds by crossing the hall to visit one of these friends who also lives in your apartment building. Your roommate is exhibiting which conflict style in this situation?

A) Avoidance
B) Competition
C) Direct aggression
D) Accommodation

Question 13

"Taking one for the team" or "losing the battle to win the war" are adages that reflect which approach to conflict?

A) Accommodation
B) Collaboration
C) Avoidance
D) Competition

Question 14

When your manager asks if you will work overtime on the weekend, you reply: "You should ask David instead. He's never busy on the weekend, and I have young children at home to care for." Your response reflects which conflict style?

A) Accommodation
B) Collaboration
C) Avoidance
D) Competition

Question 15

Crazymaking is associated with which conflict style?

A) Avoidance
B) Competition
C) Passive aggression
D) Direct aggression

Question 16

Teasing and threats are both types of ____________.

A) collaboration
B) direct aggression
C) passive aggression
D) avoidance

Question 17

After calling your coworker a slacker, you then dismiss this deliberate criticism by saying, "Just kidding." You are using what kind of conflict style in this instance?

A) Passive aggression
B) Direct aggression
C) Avoidance
D) Competition

Question 18

Which approach enjoys a positive reputation that it may not deserve?

A) Competition
B) Compromise
C) Accommodation
D) Collaboration

Question 19

As the team leader for a challenging sales pitch at your company, you realize that a relatively minor and straightforward decision regarding the project needs to be made in an hour. Which conflict style would be LEAST advisable for you to pursue in this instance?

A) Accommodation
B) Competition
C) Compromise
D) Collaboration

Question 20

You want steak for dinner, but your romantic partner wants seafood. You say, "OK. Let's go to Outback, where they serve both." You are demonstrating which conflict style?

A) Competition
B) Compromise
C) Collaboration
D) Accommodation

Question 21

Conflict happens within __________, and its character is usually determined by the way all the people involved interact.

A) relational systems
B) symmetrical networks
C) complementary cohorts
D) media silos

Question 22

Partners who use different but mutually reinforcing behaviors exhibit which conflict style?

A) Parallel
B) Symmetrical
C) Complementary
D) Assertive

Question 23

Since Cassie, your best friend, has been dating Kris, she has been skipping classes, and her grades are suffering. You calmly yet assertively express your concerns to Cassie, who tells you to mind her own business. This is an example of which approach to conflict?

A) Destructive symmetrical
B) Constructive symmetrical
C) Destructive complementary
D) Constructive complementary

Question 24

What can occur when both partners treat one another with matching hostility, one threat and insult leading to another?

A) Escalatory spiral
B) De-escalatory spiral
C) Complementary conflict
D) Serial argument

Question 25

Angry exclamations such as "We've been down this road a dozen times!" are typical of which type of argument?

A) De-escalatory spirals
B) Passive aggression
C) Conflict rituals
D) Serial arguments

Question 26

Partners who seek which kind of outcome are more likely to listen to each other and less likely to be hostile, ultimately leading to less stress and anger?

A) Lose-Lose
B) Win-Win
C) Win-Lose
D) Lose-Won

Question 27

"Yet another one of your brilliant ideas," you remark sarcastically while rolling your eyes at your spouse. Which of Gottman's "four horsemen of the apocalypse" does this response communicate?

A) Criticism
B) Contempt
C) Stonewalling
D) Defensiveness

Question 28

Which of Gottman's "four horsemen of the apocalypse" sends a disconfirming "you don't matter" message to the other person?

A) Criticism
B) Contempt
C) Stonewalling
D) Defensiveness

Question 29

When criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling feed off one another, they can develop into destructive __________.

A) complementary conflicts
B) symmetrical conflicts
C) compromises
D) conflict rituals

Question 30

Which statement is TRUE about taking communication personally (TCP)?

A) Taking conflict personally is less an individual trait than a relational one.
B) If criticism and contempt are common in your relational exchanges, you are likely to take conflict less personally.
C) TCP leads to less satisfaction in a relationship.
D) Less satisfaction in a relationship leads to TCP.

Question 31

How many steps are featured in the comprehensive approach to conflict management described in the textbook?

A) 4
B) 5
C) 6
D) 7

Question 32

When defining the problem, you should explore both the apparent content of your dissatisfaction and the __________ issues that may lurk behind it.

A) cognitive
B) relational
C) theoretical
D) psychological

Question 33

In a tense situation, building rapport, establishing common ground, and perhaps picking up information are the goals of which activity?

A) Hyperpersonal communication
B) Ritual sharing
C) Multimodality
D) Metacommunication

Question 34

"If I understand your correctly, you're saying that texts and calls are just a sign of care and concern, and they're not an attempt to monitor me." This statement is likely to occur at which stage of the seven-step process for conflict management?

A) Share your needs with the other person.
B) Implement the solution.
C) Define your needs
D) Listen to the other person's needs.

Question 35

"Ideas are not personal property" is a rule of which activity?

A) Compromising
B) Accommodating
C) Brainstorming
D) Serial arguments

Question 36

For greater protection and control, researchers recommend which communication channel when managing conflict with a coworker?

A) Email
B) Face-to-face
C) Phone
D) Texting

Question 37

Whatever forms they may take, all interpersonal conflicts share certain features.

Question 38

An expressed struggle is one that must be communicated verbally.

Question 39

Many conflicts remain unresolved because the people involved accept their interdependence.

Question 40

As long as people perceive their goals to be mutually exclusive, the conflict is real.

Question 41

With training, it is possible to avoid conflicts.

Question 42

Ghosting can be a reasonable response when leaving an abusive relationship.

Question 43

In low-context, individualistic cultures (such as that of the United States), avoidance and accommodation are often viewed positively.

Question 44

A win-lose conflict style can have a high relational cost-especially when the loser is a close friend or loved one.

Question 45

Compromising usually leads to win-win outcomes.

Question 46

A conflict style is a personality trait that carries across all situations.

Question 47

Symmetrical approaches to conflict create problems, while complementary approaches do not.

Question 48

Serial arguments are more likely than nonrecurring ones to use hostile communication.

Question 49

Critical, contemptuous communicators have an increased risk of cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure and chest pain.

Question 50

When brainstorming, it's best to prohibit criticism of any idea, no matter how outlandish it may sound.

Question 51

The final step in the seven-step approach to conflict management is implementing the solution.

Question 52

When is avoidance the best approach to conflict?

Question 53

When is collaboration NOT the best approach to conflict?

Question 54

Which 3 broad factors should you consider when choosing a conflict management style?

Question 55

How does complementary conflict differ from symmetrical conflict?

Question 56

What are 3 sources of serial arguments?

Question 57

What are the advantages of email over face-to-face communication when managing conflict at work?

Question 58

Describe the 5 different approaches to conflict.

Question 59

Describe John Gottman's "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," and provide an example of each.

Question 60

Describe the 7 steps in the win-win approach to conflict management.