Managing Conflict in Relationships Essay

Words: 2460
Pages: 10

Managing and Resolving Conflicts in a relationship
Sonia Pabon
Kaplan Institute

Interpersonal Communication
Mr. Muliken
November 26, 2012

The topic that I have chosen to discuss throughout this paper is Managing and Resolving Conflicts in a Relationship. This topic is very important to me simply because, I personally see a lot of relationships failing, including some of mines due to lack of resolving and managing conflicts correctly. By the end of this paper I hope that I have helped the reader understand and eliminate any conflicts that confront their everyday lives. Many relationships and about fifty-five percent of marriages end because of unresolved conflicts. Most of the time these relationships fail because people forget

In fact, underneath many arguments, there is at least one person in the relationship who feels neglected and devalued. The natural balance of the relationship has been lost. Often, conflicts in a relationship are an attempt to be heard, to be valued and to re-establish the balance that once existed. We all want to be able to feel cared about and appreciated. If one member of a couple begins to feel neglected, these concerns need to be raised before they become too big to handle. By keeping in close touch with each other, feelings can be discussed before they become too emotionally charged and explosive. Most disagreements can be expressed either overtly or covertly. Overt conflict is out in the open and explicit. It exists when people deal with their differences in a direct, straightforward manner. Overt conflicts can also involve physical attacks, although of course that is neither healthy nor constructive. Physical violence is never acceptable in an intimate relationship and should not be tolerated. But, all conflicts are not always overt there is also other forms of conflicts. For example, covert conflicts exist when people express their feelings about disagreements indirectly. When angry, a person may deliberately do something to hurt or upset another person. An example of covert conflict, knowing that Elliot hates to be kept waiting, his wife intentionally arrives 20 minutes late for a dinner