Sunday, 9 September 2012

Resolving Interpersonal Conflict


                Kumar and Ramya are cousins. Kumar was a very shot tempered boy and used to fight with his elder cousin sister. Kumar used to fight with anyone irrespective of their age. On the contrary, Ramya always felt her family members did not chide him even when he behaved in a bad manner. She did not like it and felt she never got support from her family.  Once, Kumar commented on the dressing sense of his elder sister and she did not like it. She felt that he should be chided by her mom but, her mom did not do so. She told him to get out of her house and it was none of his business to comment on her dressing style. Kumar always believed his arguments were right and did not agree with her view. They get into a heated argument as expected.
                Main problem is that they try to dominate each other. Though they are a part of the same family they do not understand each other. Furthermore, they have their own justifications for their actions. Kumar tries to be possessive and always wants his decision to be the final one. Kumar may think that the Ramya being the elder one should adjust. Ramya was assertive and wanted her younger cousin brother to understand the difference between right and wrong. Though being elder than Kumar she was not able to control her temperament. The tone of their voices was not proper as they were angry. Interpersonal conflict arises as they share different views.

What do you think would be the right approach that should be taken in order to resolve the conflict?

2 comments:

  1. I assume both Kumar and Ramya are in their childhood. If this is the case, I think it is sort of natural for some children to be bash and arrogant. Kumar, form your description, seems to be rather bashful in his approach towards his family members. Here, I think i might side with Ramya as she only retaliated when she had been pushed to the limit. Given Kumar's attitude, Ramya's outburst seems understandable. However, if Kumar is a lot younger than Ramya, she should be mature enough to not take his slights to heart.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Sudarsan,

    Eventhough Ramya's intentions are good and she is probably the wiser one, it is difficult to solve the problem when both of them have huge egos with no signs of giving in to each other. It is not possible to have an amicable relationship when there is no empathy on both sides. I guess that may come with age.

    Plus, Ramya has no moral authority over Kumar being only the cousin. So it is understandable that Kumar does not listen to her especially when his elders condone his actions. Hence, the best solution i believe will be to have his parents intervening and drive some sense into him, so that he might see some light in Ramya's intentions.

    ReplyDelete