Following the American Psychological Association Style Guide s4

Interpersonal Communication

Following the American Psychological Association Style Guide

Professor Introduction

For Part I of this assignment, I will be reviewing the Skill Development Experience on page 152 of my textbook in Chapter 7. I will reflect on the four questions provided. For Part II of this assignment, I will review page 161 of my textbook and discuss different conflict styles and their descriptions in Chapter 8. I will use the questions that in Table 8.1 and write a concise reflection about which style describes me best. I will consider adopting a different style that may be positive or negative for me.

Part 1

In order to have strong interpersonal skills, the first step that any person needs to do is to listen. Listening is the foundation, the core and the primary source of any form of effective communication and strong interpersonal skills. When two people who are one-on-one, or a group is speaking with each individual discussing any issue, or any potential dynamic that could be at play even in the form of a President of a country addressing the nation – people have to listen.

How they listen will differ. If someone agrees, then most likely the dialogue on any level that is taking place will be amicable.

If someone disagrees with what is being said – if the person who has delivered the message is doing so in kind in response to kindness – then effective interpersonal communication then requires each individual to continue to listen to one another in order to reach an effective and solidified resolution.

Part II

Conflict resolution and conflict skills again require listening as addressed as well in Part

I. However, what does one do when someone says angry words behind their back? What does someone do when people are being vicious, vile and vindictive simply and essentially because they are not a mature individual? Essentially, problems do not tend to arise among mature individuals, at least less often. In this event, I am of the opinion that one needs to take on the behavioral modification of someone who is verbally abusing a bad mannered child. No – this is not the “normal” state of behavior for a mature individual. However, when the means justify the ends – if true conflict arises through verbal means that could lead to physical means – even highly verbally abusive means call for this lawfully – then the police authorities (who are essentially mediators in the best form of conflict resolution) would need to be notified and come to intervene and mediate the conflict.

This latter scenario is the worst-case scenario. The best case scenario is that an immature person will quickly come to understand in a sober, not high, and clear state of mind the gravity of actions and their bad judgment and do their best to avoid such conflicts from arising again – particularly if the conflict has come up more than even once.

However, some people learn very slowly. The negative aspect of a slow-learner and bad communicator is that affects everyone around them. I turn this particular negative into a positive by calling a mediator such as the police.

Conclusion

For Part I of this assignment, I have reviewed the Skill Development Experience on page

152 of my textbook in Chapter 7. I reflected on the four questions provided. For Part II of this assignment, I reviewed page 161 of my textbook and discuss different conflict styles and their descriptions in Chapter 8. I used the questions that in Table 8.1 and wrote a concise reflection about which style describes me best. I considered adopting a different style that may be positive or negative for me.