This week’s reading (Kriesberg) addressed the social context concerning adopting conflict strategies. Share your interpretation of the aspects highlighted by the author in your own words.
Do you find them comprehensive, or can you identify additional social contextual factors?
In this week’s reading, Kriesberg talks about seven big things in a person’s surroundings that shape how they choose to deal with conflict. This was my understanding of what they are:
1. Institutions of the opponents’ social system – Every social group has rules – they could be school, work, family, church rules, etc – and these rules influence how people behave when there’s a disagreement. If a family leaves holiday decorations outside for too long past a holiday, their neighbors might give them a hard time. This is part of a social rule structure. Some social structures encourage everyone to talk things out and get them out in the open while other social groups might encourage competition.
2. Norms and ways of thinking: People act based on what’s normal depending on where they live. If everyone around them is used to using physical violence to solve a problem, their children might do the same.
3. Roles of other parties: This talks about the part other people play within the conflict. If a student destroys school property, for example, a teacher or school administrator might handle the conflict or even a law enforcement officer. Sometimes other people can make things better, but they can also make it worse if they take sides or pressure you to make a decision that goes against your own moral code.
4. Resource inequalities: There are usually resource inequalities in a conflict – where one person has way more money, influence, or power than the other. This might empower the one with more resources to boss the other person
around. Think of a large manufacturing plant with no union representation. In that case, the company heads have almost all the power in that they can easily fire and replace anyone who complains about the wages, working conditions, or treatment at work.
5. Changing technologies: The way people try to resolve problems changes when new things get invented. When social media became popular, face-to-face arguments lessened and online arguments or “resolutions” were more frequent. Another example might be the invention of the body camera for law enforcement officers. This added a layer of accountability that was missing before the usage of body cams became required in certain places.
6. Integration: This refers to how well people blend in together or interact with each other. If people have to rely on each other for something – like classmates who have to work on a group project or colleagues who have to pitch a client together – they might try harder to get along because there is a common goal. If they’re separate and don’t need each other for any reason, then they might not care as much about resolving a conflict together.
7. Response to stress: Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations. Some people stay calm and think things through while other people might get aggressive or avoid the problem altogether. We looked at avoidance a couple of weeks ago as another way to possibly address conflict. Stress can manifest in all kinds of ways and it’s something to consider when trying to put different people together to resolve conflict.
An aspect that wasn’t mentioned in the book which I think should be considered is past experiences or the historical context around a disagreement. There might be cultural differences that should be taken into consideration as well. In some cultures, speaking up and being vocal about a conflict is no big deal, but in others speaking out or being outspoken would be considered disrespectful or out of line. All of these elements should be considered during conflict resolutions. People don’t just walk into conflicts with a blank slate. They bring all their past baggage with them, whether it’s personal experiences, cultural upbringing, or patterns of dealing with conflict that have been passed down by the generations before them.
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