Week 7 – Assignment: Assess an Unresolved Conflict and Work Toward Forgiveness

Instructions
For this week’s assignment, you will reflect on what happens when conflict goes unresolved for an extended period. Identify a conflict of your choice that has spiraled and examines it through the lens of “what bad things will happen if this problem goes unresolved”. There are no constraints on the type of conflict you choose, but keep in mind, interpersonal conflicts are not all created equal. For example, if you choose to diagnose a conflict between two family members, the way you look at it may be different from choosing to diagnose a workplace conflict. Alternatively, you may decide to choose a conflict in the news or one in your hometown. No matter the conflict, your job is to create a PowerPoint presentation that introduces and maps the conflict, by including the following reflective exercise:

Place yourself within the conflict (if you’ve chosen one that doesn’t already involve you). Then, prepare six thoughtful I-Statements in the form of a chart. In one column, prepare declarative statements that demonstrate yourself escaping responsibility. Then, in a second column, transform these statements into I-statements that demonstrate yourself taking responsibility. See the example below. Three of the statements should be related to the conflict in general, and three should be related to forgiveness.

When thinking about forgiveness, it may help to think through it in the following way:

Think about why you’re angry, hurt, sad, etc.
Try to find a positive way you’ve grown from the situation.
Think about the other person (and why they may have gone about meeting their needs in this way that was particularly hurtful to you).
Decide whether or not you’d like the other person to know you’ve forgiven them.
Remember, forgiveness is a way to honor yourself; so, let go of that which does not serve you, and move forward and be open to happiness.
I-Statement

Accepting Responsibility

You talk to everyone else in the office and ignore me.

I feel we need to more strongly establish our lines of communication.

You took my ideas and now I won’t get that promotion.

When you took my ideas, I was hurt and angry. I would have preferred you let me share and take credit for them, but you did not. When I think about what you did, I let myself feel bitterness. I have held on to the demand that you should have let me share my own ideas and not take credit for them. I no longer choose to hold on to the tension and hurt that accompanies my memory of the situation and cancel the expectations I placed on you, to be honest. You are responsible for your own actions.

As part of your notes page, share a few insights garnered from completing the readings and assignment, and then explain how you foresee applying I-Statements both professionally and personally. Be sure to provide specific examples.

Incorporate appropriate animations, transitions, and graphics as well as speaker notes for each slide. The speaker notes may be comprised of brief paragraphs or bulleted lists and should cite material appropriately.

Support your presentation with at least five scholarly resources. In addition to these specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources may be included.

Length: 12-15 slides (with a separate reference slide)
Notes Length: a minimum of 150 words for each slide

References: Include a minimum of 5 scholarly resources.

Your assignment should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards.