LECTURE 10- CONFLICT

Question 1

Signs of tension

Answer 1

-The one at a time rule

speaker’s talk projects possible completion

next speaker has a right to start at that possible completion-not before (more precisely, not in ways that can be heard as interruptive)

Speakers can depart from this norm by starting to talk early, before the prior speakers turn

This can be a way of being confrontational in conversation

-Preference for agreement/acceptance

Speakers typically mitigate disagreeing responses by using delays, prefaces, and explanations

When people produce a response that is not supportive they format it in a dispreferred way

-Departures from the norm

Sometimes, speakers do not delay or mitigate a dis-preferred response (e.g. a rejection)

With this, they achieve a particular communicative effect: a flat rejection

One context for flat rejections is an emerging conflict

Question 2

conflict escalation

Answer 2

Sometimes tensions evolve into full-blown conflicts

Research has shown some of the ingredients that contribute to escalation (Dersley and Wotton, 2001)

Accusations of enduring (rather one-off) faults; judging a person rather than their actions (e.g., ‘’whenever I hit you it was because you lie you know you are a liar you know’’)

Pointing out examples of those faults in the current interaction (e.g., ‘’I gave you the courtesy of listening to you just now, so you can listen to me without butting in’’)

Accusations are unmitigated; te accuser takes responsibility for their own words (e.g., ‘’im fed up with it’’)

Undermining the other’s position

Question 3

what is polarisation

Answer 3

The interaction can get locked into a cycle of reciprocal accusations and/or systematic rejection of the other’s position- don’t progress to compromise/solutions

In this way the tension is aggravated, and the interaction does not proceed towards of resolution of the dissent

Question 4

vicious cycles

Answer 4

Interpersonal conflicts involve incompatibles perspectives on the same reality: each ppts treats the other as being the cause of the problem

Watzlawick et al., 1976= observe that conflicts often involve vicious cycles of reciprocal accusations

Question 5

politeness theory

Answer 5

Positive face= basic need to maintain a positive self image and be appreciated

Negative face= basic need to be free of imposition by others

Accusations threaten the recipient’s face

Question 6

unilateral exits

Answer 6

A ppts can decide to leave the scene unilaterally as a statement of the other’s willingness and/or inability to reach a compromise

Implicit statement