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Activities and Discussion Questions
Hocker: Interpersonal Conflict, 10e
Instructor’s Manual
Activities and Discussion Questions
Chapter 1
The Nature of Conflict
Activities and Discussion Questions
What Is Conflict Anyway?
1. Ask students to write a paragraph on their perception of conflict. Then, have them get into
pairs and exchange their paragraphs. If most of the students’ perceptions on conflict are
“too nice,” ask them to think of someone they know who engages in conflict, and request
them to write about that person’s perception on conflict. (You can have students pair up
more than once, if time permits.)
Elements of Conflict Worksheet
Elements of Conflict
My Perspective
Conflict Partner’s Perspective
Expression of Struggle
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Activities and Discussion Questions
Hocker: Interpersonal Conflict, 10e
Interdependence
Perception of
Incompatible Goals
Perception of Scarce
Resources
Perception of
Interference
4. After each pair of students has completed the worksheet, bring the class back together for a
discussion. Have the students reflect on what they discovered about their perception on
conflict.
5. Discuss the two types of spirals: escalatory spirals and avoidance spirals. Ask students to
contrast between the two. Which type of spiral is the worst? Why? What can people do to
stop themselves from ascending these spirals?
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Activities and Discussion Questions
Hocker: Interpersonal Conflict, 10e
Elements of Conflict in “Action”
The Family Stone: Movie Analysis
Note to instructors: The following activities accompany a viewing of the movie, The Family
Stone. Since students have only read the first chapter at this point, the movie works well for
identifying the “elements of conflict.” However, as the term progresses, you could revisit the
film and its concepts or characters numerous times, because it exemplifies topics such as power,
emotions, systems, and interpersonal negotiation. Finally, you could show clips from the movie
to discuss concepts presented in Chapter 1 as well as concepts from later chapters. At the end of
the semester, you could show the students the entire movie, and then have them perform an in–
depth conflict analysis of all the conflicts that took place in the movie.
Discussion Questions (Chapter 1)
Note to instructors: Using the “Elements of Conflict” worksheet helps a lot.
1. Identify the “expressions of struggle” between Everett and his family.
a. What do you see as the “perceived incompatible goals” and the “perceived scarce
resources” of the conflict?
b. What “interference” do you see between the parties of conflict?
2. Identify the “expressions of struggle” between Meredith and Everett’s family?
a. What do you see as the “perceived incompatible goals” and the “perceived scarce
resources” of the conflict?
b. What “interference” do you see between or among the parties of conflict?
3. What “expressions of struggle” do Everett and Meredith experience with each other?
4. How are the parties of conflict interdependent on each other? (You could ask this question
with regard to the whole family or just Meredith and Everett.)
5. Choose any other set of characters that appear to have a conflict in the movie, and analyze
the various elements of conflict that you see between them.
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Activities and Discussion Questions
Hocker: Interpersonal Conflict, 10e
questions assigned to them, you can ask them to share their perceptions on the conflict between
the two parties. The differences or similarities in the students’ perceptions will make for a great
class discussion.
Conflict Skills Inventory
Part One
1. In class, create a list of all the things that you think are your strengths when you manage
your conflicts with others. What are the conflict management skills that you have?
2. Next, create a list of all the things that you think are your weaknesses when you manage
your conflicts with others. What conflict management skills do you need to get better at
managing your conflicts? What conflict management skills would you like to obtain to get
better at managing your conflicts?
4. Compare your list with the lists from the three most important people in your life.
5. Prepare a “Plan for Improvement,” which includes steps to make you better at managing
conflicts and also includes the feedback from the three most important people in your life.
Set three to five goals for yourself to improve upon over the duration of this course.
6. Incorporating ideas from Chapter 1, discuss how you and those around you might benefit
from your improved conflict management skills.
Part Two (Optional)
1. At the end of the term, repeat all the steps listed in Part One. Notice all the areas in which
you have improved and the skills that you still need work on. When writing your “Plan for
Improvement,” think of your conflict-management goals for the time period ranging from
the next six months to one year.
2. As you complete this course on interpersonal conflict, reflect on the major factors that have
contributed to your increased conflict-management skills. Conversely, reflect on whether
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Activities and Discussion Questions
Hocker: Interpersonal Conflict, 10e
or not you have regressed in any of your skills or abilities. Then, talk about why you think
that you have regressed in these skills or abilities and what, if anything, you’d like to do
differently.
Preventing Destructive Conflict at Work
Process
1. Ask students to read the scenario and the sample dialogue given below.
2. Assign students to groups of three to four members each. Have each group read the sample
dialogue and answer the discussion questions that follow. Then, have each group choose a
scribe to write down all of its members’ reflections. Have a student from each group (other
than the scribe) report his or her group’s observations to the rest of the class.
Sample Dialogue
Situation: Vicki is an employee in a small training company. Her boss, Maria, has been
frustrated with Vicki’s lack of initiative, inability to prioritize her workload, and her lack of
interpersonal skills. Vicki is frustrated with Maria because she thinks her boss expects too much
from her and the pace of the work is much too fast for a small company. Vicki has been taking a
lot of “sick” days lately and often does not follow through with small assignments. The
following conversation is just one of many “small” conflicts that has been going on for
approximately six months now. Read the dialogue given below, and then, answer the discussion
questions that follow.
Maria: Hey, Vicki. I was wondering where you put that file for the Spring Conference next
week.
Vicki: Which one? You give me a lot of files.
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Maria: No, I remember very distinctly from our debriefing session that you said you wanted to
do it because you had worked with Ed on last year’s conference. We all took different
assignments, and that’s the one you took.
Vicki: I definitely took a lot of assignments, but the Spring Conference folder wasn’t one of
them.
Maria: Okay . . . I guess what we really need to do is not figure out who lost it, but where the file
is now.
Vicki: Who “lost” it? It was never mine, so how could I lose it? I’m sick of always being blamed
for everything that goes wrong around here. If everyone would just sit still for a minute, maybe
all this stuff wouldn’t fall through the cracks.
Maria: Wait a second. I wasn’t blaming you for anything! I just really need to find the folder. I’m
wondering where it is, and I need to write the follow-up evaluations.
Vicki: Well, I don’t have it. (Vicki returns to completing her timesheet on the computer).
(Maria retreats to her office and doesn’t say what’s really on her mind. She’s trying not to get too
angry. She meets with another colleague later that afternoon and asks the colleague what his
thoughts are about Vicki as their support staff.)
Discussion Questions
• Do you think that this conflict between Vicki and Maria could have been prevented?
• Should Vicki and Maria just drop the conflict and not discuss it at all?
• What do you think Maria and Vicki could do to prevent more of this potentially time-
wasting and destructive conflict?
• If you were to write the story of this conflict as a third-person observing the conflict, what
would it be?
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Hocker: Interpersonal Conflict, 10e
Journaling Ideas
1. Write about a time when you “read” someone else’s mind. How did it turn out? How
would dialogue have helped or hindered the situation? Write about a time when someone
else “read” your mind? How did it turn out? How might dialogue have helped or hindered
the situation?
2. Write about your “bad habits” or “dirty tricks.” How have these played a role in the way
you manage your conflict with others?
3. Recall a recent or current conflict that mattered or still matters to you. How do you feel
when you think about it? Describe your physical symptoms, if you have any, as well as
your thought processes on the conflict. How do these feelings or thoughts affect the way
that you manage the conflict?