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Chapter 11
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. Which of the following is true with respect to interpersonal conflict?
a. It involves independent parties.
b. It involves perceived scarce resources.
c. It occurs within oneself.
d. It is synonymous with disagreement.
2. Felix had been angry with his roommate Hector for some time. Hector was always playing
his music so loudly that Felix couldn’t concentrate, much less have a conversation on the
telephone. Despite his anger, he hadn’t expressed his feelings to Hector. Which of the
following is true of this situation?
a. Hector and Felix are engaged in conflict, because Felix’s anger is sufficient to produce
conflict.
b. Hector and Felix are not engaged in conflict, because the source of their conflict is not
interpersonal.
c. Hector and Felix are engaged in conflict, because conflict can exist “under the surface” for
some time.
d. Hector and Felix are not engaged in conflict, because conflict must be expressed.
3. Frank and Samantha just received a large inheritance when Samantha’s grandmother passed
away. Samantha said she wanted to use the money to build an addition onto their house.
Frank said he wanted to buy a more fuel-efficient car. Which of the following is true about
this situation?
a. This is an example of conflict, because it involves an expressed struggle.
b. This is an example of conflict, because it involves scarce resources.
c. This is an example of conflict, because it involves incompatible goals.
d. All of these are true.
4. Which of the following is NOT one of the common conflict metaphors identified in your
textbook?
a. Conflict is a war.
b. Conflict is a dance.
c. Conflict is a hammer.
d. Conflict is a game.
5. Which of the following statements accurately reflects the idea of “reframing” a conflict?
a. thinking of conflict as a game when you traditionally think of it as a battle
b. engaging in a cooling-off period before you have a conflict discussion
c. trying to see a conflict from someone else’s point of view
d. minimizing your responsibility for a conflict
6. The content dimension of a conflict relates to what?
a. the implications of the conflict for the relationship
b. the strategies people use to manage the conflict
c. the acceptability of the outcome of the conflict
d. the specific point of contention giving rise to the conflict
7. Jon recently stopped a conflict with his girlfriend, Ana, and said to her, “You don’t know
how to have a disagreement without losing your temper and swearing!” Ana replied, “Well at
least I want to confront the issues instead of avoiding them!” Jon and Ana’s exchange is an
example of
a. the content dimension of conflict.
b. the relational dimension of conflict.
c. metaconflict.
d. pseudoconflict.
8. Which of the following is NOT one of the health detriments associated with conflict
described in your text?
a. hardening of the arteries
b. calcium deposits in the kidneys
c. reduction in the body’s natural killer cells
d. delayed wound healing
9. Research shows that three issues top the list as sources of conflict in romantic relationships.
Which of the following is NOT among them?
a. household chores
b. relationships with in-laws
c. personal criticisms
d. finances
10. Which of the following statements about sex and conflict is FALSE?
a. Women are always taught to be submissive to the demands of men.
b. Men are generally taught to engage in conflict directly and competitively.
c. Men are generally taught not to hurt women.
d. Women might feel the need to fight to obtain necessary resources.
11. Which of the following is an example of passive aggression, as it is defined in the text?
a. Tara is hurt when her brother forgets her birthday, so she deliberately “forgets” his.
b. Parker is angry with his mother so he ignores her calls and e-mail messages.
c. Bonnie doesn’t want to go to her neighbor’s party, so she takes so long to get ready for it that
the party is over by the time she’s done.
d. All the answers are correct.
12. When spouses engage in the demand-withdraw pattern, who is most likely to demand and
who is more likely to withdraw?
a. Men are most likely to demand; women are most likely to withdraw.
b. Women are most likely to demand; men are most likely to withdraw.
c. Women are most likely to demand and most likely to withdraw.
d. Men are most likely to demand and most likely to withdraw.
13. Which of the following statements about collectivistic cultures is true?
a. In conflict, group priorities are more important than individual priorities.
b. Individuals are more likely to avoid conflict altogether.
c. Parties involved in a conflict are likely to enlist a mediator to help reach an agreement.
d. All the answers are correct.
14. Which of the following tips is NOT useful for managing an online conflict?
a. Avoid responding right away.
b. Always respond using the same communication medium.
c. Clarify comments or statements that aren’t clear.
d. Use emoticons to express your emotional state.
15. ________ is the ability to manipulate, influence, or control other people or events.
a. Conflict
b. Fear
c. Power
d. Coercion
16. Which of the following statements about power is FALSE?
a. Power is known as a “single-dimension” concept.
b. Power is always present.
c. Power can be positive or negative.
d. Power is context-specific.
17. A relationship between a person of higher power and a person of lesser power is known as a
________ relationship.
a. symmetrical
b. deficit
c. contemporary
d. complementary
18. Which form of power derives from the ability to punish?
a. legitimate power
b. expert power
c. referent power
d. coercive power
19. Feminist scholars highlight the fact that, worldwide, women earn only about ________ as
much as men for the same job as a blatant example of gender inequality.
a. 15%
b. 40%
c. 70%
d. 90%
20. When people engage in ________, they use their words to attack or demean those around
them.
a. verbal aggression
b. linguistic assault
c. high-dominance conflict
d. powerful language
21. People in which type of culture think of the unequal distribution of power as normal or even
desirable?
a. high-content
b. low-context
c. high-power-distance
d. low-power-distance
22. When engaged in interpersonal conflict, ________ is the practice of saving up past
grievances and bringing them all up at the same time.
a. blindsiding
b. counter-attacking
c. gunnysacking
d. rubber-band-balling
23. According to Gottman, people engage in which behavior when they insult each other and
attack each other’s self-worth?
a. contempt
b. defensiveness
c. criticism
d. stonewalling
24. Which of the following statements correctly defines the concept of flooding?
a. Flooding refers to a sudden rush of emotion and is commonly experienced by women during
conflict.
b. Flooding happens when someone engaged in conflict is emotionally or psychologically
unable to engage the discussion further.
c. Flooding is what happens to men in conflict when they experience a rapid increase in
hormones that are responsible for stress and anger.
d. Flooding happens when someone engaged in conflict experiences an increase in stress
hormones after the other person stonewalls.
25. Which conflict-management strategy involves a high concern for the other party but a low
concern for the self?
a. collaborating
b. accommodating
c. avoiding
d. compromising
True/False Questions
26. To qualify as conflict, a struggle or disagreement has to be expressed.
27. The most distressed relationships are those with the most frequent conflict.
28. The strength of the immune system is predicted by the way people handle conflict,
particularly in romantic relationships.
29. The topics that gay and lesbian couples experience conflict over tend to differ from the
conflict topics of heterosexual couples.
30. Traditional gender socialization encourages men to use accommodating conflict management
strategies.
31. The disinhibition effect suggests that online conflicts are more likely to involve inequitable
distributions of power than face-to-face conflicts.
32. Referent power derives from one’s admiration for, and attraction to, another.
33. As an approach to structuring families and communities, patriarchy is virtually universal.
34. Stonewalling involves seeing yourself as a victim and denying responsibility for your own
behaviors.
35. The goal of collaboration is to identify a “win-win” solution to a conflict.
Answer: True
Bloom’s: Remember
Short-Answer Questions
(Answers will vary.)
36. Using concrete examples, identify the three most common topics of conflict in romantic
relationships, according to Erbert’s research.
Bloom’s: Understand
37. Identify and discuss two cultural dimensions that influence how people manage conflict.
Bloom’s: Understand
38. Define and provide examples of the three types of power-based messages identified by
Ericson and Rogers.
Bloom’s: Understand
39. Define and give examples of French and Raven’s five forms of power.
Bloom’s: Understand
40. Explain and provide a hypothetical example of the principle of least interest.
Bloom’s: Understand
41. Identify and briefly define each of Gottman’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Bloom’s: Understand
Essay Questions
(Answers will vary.)
42. Discuss the prevalence of, and the problems associated with, violence in intimate
relationships. What (if anything) should be done to limit the occurrence of intimate violence?
Based on what you learned in this chapter, generate at least four ideas that might help people
minimize the occurrence of violence in their relationships. Support your ideas as fully as
possible.
Bloom’s: Analyze
43. As the chapter pointed out, conflict can be harmful to people, but it can also be beneficial. In
a short essay, explain the potential harms and the potential benefits of conflict, and identify
the ways in which how conflict is managed influences whether the outcomes are positive or
negative.
Bloom’s: Analyze
44. How do expectations of sex and gender contribute to conflict? Identify and discuss at least
three ways that men and women tend to differ in their approach to conflict. What role does
relationship type or satisfaction play in these differences? Finally, do you agree that popular
culture exaggerates these tendencies? Why or why not? Make sure to justify your reasoning
as fully as possible.
Bloom’s: Analyze
45. In recent years, employers have been reprimanding and even firing employees for comments
made online in blogs, Twitter, or Facebook. Using what you learned about the concepts of
power in this chapter, construct an argument either for or against that practice.
Bloom’s: Analyze
46. Identify, define, and provide an example of each of the five conflict strategies identified by
Blake and Mouton. If it helps, you can draw the diagram that represents the five styles. Next,
identify which conflict style fits you. Which features of your personality led you to select that
style and not the others?
Bloom’s: Analyze
47. Imagine you were a counselor assigned to help Marc and his teenage daughter Amber
(described in the Interpersonal Conflict chapter) work through their conflict regarding Amber
having stolen Marc’s credit cards from his wallet. Using the concepts you’ve learned in the
chapter, explain the nature of their conflict to them (specifically identifying its content and
relational dimensions), and then explain what options they have for managing their conflict
in a productive way. Include relevant issues of power in your answer. Address your answer
directly to Marc and Amber.
Bloom’s: Apply
