Communication is transferring information from one person, a place, or a group to another, and it plays a vital role in organizations, families, and churches. A healthy and effective interaction strengthens the relationship of the people involved, and information is easily conveyed. Conflicts may arise among different individuals or communities; which various factors may cause. This paper will define conflict, describe how communication behaviors and personal dissimilarities lead to interpersonal conflict and provide recommendations for resolving misunderstandings.
Conflict Definition
Conflict is a disagreement between parties involved over values, interests, goals, or beliefs that people possess. According to other definitions, it is a conveyed struggle among inter-reliant parties due to a change of interests and perceptions. They denote a unique type of communicative and interactive setting at both intergroup and interpersonal stages. Many people become anxious or even tense when the element of conflict is mentioned. However, this is an utterly healthy, normal, and natural component of any relationship (Chen & Agrawal, 2017). Struggles arise between inter-reliant parties or individuals who depend on each other for a disagreement to occur. Interdependence exists where one person’s actions affect the well-being of the other party. If people are not dependent upon each other, it is not considered an interpersonal conflict even when there is disparity.
Communication Behaviors
Interpersonal conflicts may be expressed verbally or nonverbally, which surpasses the conveyance of messages which consist of abuse. They may be caused by frustration and stress, misunderstandings, lack of planning, poor communication, bad staff selection, among others. Verbal communication includes words, sounds, speech, and language, making it an effective way of expressing emotions. It may happen face-to-face, through a phone call, public address, among others. The message transferred orally should have a meaning, and the receiver should deduce the meaning of the information. The spoken report can lead to conflicts when the meaning is well conveyed, not clearly understood, or the transfer information’s significance is not visibly defined among the parties involved (Ihtiyar, 2017). Nonetheless, non-verbal communication uses body language to express a message that sends attitudes, thoughts, perceptions, and implications. They include gestures, facial expressions, body movement, posture, and eye contact. These behaviors lead to conflicts when they offend, confuse, or even undermine the report being transmitted.
Effects of Communication Behaviors and Individual Differences
Communication is the foundation of every interpersonal interaction, and it is crucial to a long-lasting and healthy relationship. Choice of words used to converse may cause interpersonal conflicts. Inappropriate spoken words may change the meaning of the entire message, and the other party may misinterpret the meaning and affect the relationship. For instance, raising the voice tone may lead to abuse and fighting, hence tampering with the individual relationship leading to skirmishes (Ihtiyar, 2017). Personal differences may include personalities, culture, perceptions, values, beliefs, and thoughts, contributing to interpersonal struggles. These dissimilarities cause communication and interaction breakdown because individuals have different feelings and views, leading to expressed scuffle among parties involved and relational conflict.
Recommendations
I would recommend the withdrawal method, which means avoiding the problem. It involves refusing to discuss the issue, withdrawing from conflict physically, shutting down entirely, brushing off the problem, and ignoring the other people involved. It can be useful when the struggles are intense; temporarily, avoidance can cool and collect oneself when emotions are high.
Conclusion
In conclusion, disagreements are part of human consciousness in all aspects of life, and they are unavoidable in daily activities. Conflict is a conveyed struggle over an alleged discordancy of values, interests, goals, or beliefs by inter-reliant parties. It denotes a unique type of communicative and interactive setting at both intergroup and interpersonal stages. The struggles are brought about by communication behaviors such as verbal and nonverbal interaction.
References
Chen, M., & Agrawal, S. (2017). Do communication barriers in student teams impede creative behavior in the long run? – A time-lagged perspective. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 26, 154-167.
Ihtiyar, A. (2017). A conceptual framework to explain the transition of intercultural communication conflict, social environment, and personality.Journal of Management, Economics and Industrial Organization, 37-50.