Chapter Review

Chapter Activities

  1. Conflict is often the basis for the plots of TV comedies such as How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, The Mindy Project, Friends, and so on. Using a specific conflict from such a show (or Web series), analyze what occurred in a brief essay. Describe the scenario and provide examples of specific conflict strategies the characters used. What was constructive or destructive in the conflict? What was played “for laughs” and how did that impact the conflict? How could the characters have handled the situation better?

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  2. image Watch the video on sniping and write a short improvement paper analyzing the communication between the two roommates: How could the roommates in the video improve their communication? Have you experienced similar interactions? If so, how did you handle the conversation? What strategies could help repair the relationship?

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  3. Journal about a recent conflict with a romantic partner, coworker, family member, or friend. Describe the scenario, how each person handled the conflict, influences on the conflict, and the conflict ending, using concepts and theories from the chapter. Consider how you could have handled the situation differently and what lessons you learned for the next time you enter a conflict.

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  4. With a partner, discuss a time when you both avoided a conflict. Why did you choose this approach? What form of avoidance did you use? What were the results? Can avoiding conflict sometimes be a good strategy? How do the concepts of suppressing and venting emotions (from Chapter 4) affect avoidance as a way to handle conflict?

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  5. Consider this analogy: a small amount of salt is needed to balance the sugar level in cookies. Similarly, we don’t want too much “salt” in relationships, but it can be useful to balance the sweet. Why would this be? What role does conflict play in relationships? When can conflict improve relationships?

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  6. Films and TV shows often feature sudden-death breakups such as in the film The Break-Up, when Jennifer Aniston’s character breaks up with her boyfriend during a fight; or when Elaine’s boyfriend, “The Bad Breaker-Upper” tells her she has a “big head” on Seinfeld; or when Rachel breaks up with Ross on Friends with “Let’s take a break.” Discuss the implications of sudden-death statements. Can relationships be repaired after such statements? How do you deal with the regret?

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